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Most people don't consider the damage that alcohol could be doing to them , but today we are breaking down 50 data-driven facts to help you reconsider the toll that alcohol is taking on your health , on our communities and , most importantly , our future .
Number one in 2023 , an estimated 28.9 million Americans had a drinking problem , ranging from binge drinking and alcohol abuse to full-blown alcoholism . This figure includes 757,000 underage drinkers between the ages of 12-17 . 2 . In the US , the alcohol market grew nearly 8% annually between 2020 and 2023 .
This was partly spurred on by a dramatic spike in drinking during the COVID pandemic , where alcohol-related deaths increased by 25% . 3 . The average age at which Americans consume their first alcoholic drink has dropped from 17.5 in the 1960s to under 16 today .
This has been the result of the alcohol industry's decade-long campaign to promote underage drinking through so-called flavoured malt beverages like supersized Alka-Pops . 4 . A whopping 46% of calls to US poison centre control centres involve minors consuming these beverages . 5 .
Worldwide , alcohol is estimated to contribute to 1.5 million deaths annually , representing nearly 3% of all deaths . 6 . Alcohol is the third leading lifestyle cause of death in the US , behind tobacco and poor diet . According to the CDC , 178,000 people die from alcohol-related causes annually in the US .
This is a whopping 29% increase from 2017 , when the estimate was 138,000 deaths . Here's the crazy statistic . Collectively , these deaths account for 4 million life years lost every single year . 8 . On average , alcohol cuts the life of a person short by 24 years . This compares to only 10 years for tobacco . 9 .
In 2006 , over 1.2 million emergency visits and 2.7 million visits to clinics were related to alcohol consumption . 10 . Roughly 90% of heavy drinkers have fatty liver , a condition in which the liver swells due to an accumulation of fat . While fatty liver typically has no visible symptoms , it often sets the stage for more serious liver damage down the line . 11 .
About 37,000 people die annually in the US from alcohol-related liver complications , and this figure keeps getting worse . Between 1999 and 2016 , the number of young people dying from cirrhosis of the liver rose by more than 10% annually . Twelve .
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , 46% of all liver-related deaths and 50% of cirrhosis deaths involve alcohol . 13 . The outlook for advanced liver disease is bleak , with 20-40% dying within 3 months being diagnosed . 14 . Alcohol is a proven carcinogen in the same category as ionising radiation , tobacco and asbestos .
Drinking has been proven to raise your risk of 8 different types of cancer the mouth , the throat , the larynx , the oesophagus , the colon , rectum , liver and breast . Different types of cancer the mouth , the throat , the larynx , the oesophagus , the colon , rectum , liver and breast . 15 . With some types of cancer , the risk increase is staggering .
Compared to abstainers , heavy drinkers have a 5-fold increased risk of oral cavity cancers , as well as 2.6-fold increased risk of larynx cancers . 16 . By far the most common cancer in women is breast cancer , and for women who drink , the risk for this cancer starts to rise from their very first drink or beer .
Slightly Heavy drinkers , on the other hand , have a 60% higher chance of developing breast cancer . 17 . As a result of the alcohol industry's wildly successful lobbying and misinformation campaigns , the public is largely in the dark regarding these cancer risks .
A survey in the UK found that only 13% of respondents named cancer as a potential health outcome of drinking . 18 . Alcohol is a neurotoxin which will steadily kill off your brain cells , shrinking your brain in the process . By the time of their death , a heavy-drinking male brain will weigh , on average , 75 grams less .
This dramatic reduction is associated with widespread deficits in more or less all cognitive domains . These include things like memory , executive functioning and social skills . 19 . Memory is arguably the cognitive faculty that suffers the most . More or less 100% of chronic drinkers will show various degrees of memory impairment when tested by a neuropsychologist .
Short-term working memory is typically hit the hardest . 20 . Alcohol also severely disrupts the balance of the brain's neurotransmitters that underlie our mood and psychological well-being . Various studies place the co-occurrence of alcohol abuse or dependence and depression at between 16 to 68% . Roughly one out of two drinkers will also suffer from a various type of anxiety .
These can be social anxieties , phobias , panic attacks or just a generalized anxiety disorder . 21 . Eventually , the brain can give out altogether , leading to full-blown dementia . A weekly consumption of more than 14 units a week leads to a linear increase in the risk of dementia .
Tragically , this type of dementia can affect even relatively young people in their 40s and 50s . 22 . Heavy drinkers are at a fourfold increase of developing hypertension . Now this is commonly called the silent killer , as it has no other symptoms but dramatically increases your risk of an early death .
According to the World Health Organization , 16% of all hypertensive diseases worldwide are alcohol-related . 23 . Your risk of developing heart arrhythmias also rises steadily the more that you drink , starting with the very first drink .
Massive meta-analyses involving tens of thousands of people all agree that the risk rises at about 8-10% with each daily drink , and that's starting from the very first one . The data is pretty black and white . So if you're hoping that drinking in moderation will do your heart any kind of favours , I'd just strongly recommend that you reconsider things .
At 24 , alcohol will also increase your risk of stroke , with heavy drinkers having a more than 60% higher risk . Roughly 30% of these stroke victims will be left permanently disabled . At 25 , heavy drinking for a minimum of five years eventually sets the stage for the complete destruction of the heart muscle itself .
In alcoholic cardiomyopathy , the heart weakens to the point of becoming physically deformed and unable to properly pump blood through the body , and the outlook is bleak , with up to 80% of cases dying within a decade . 26, . Aside from its direct cardiotoxicity , part of alcohol's burden on the heart is down to how overweight and sluggish it can make you .
An alcoholic beverage can contain up to 250 calories , and for reasons that are not yet clear , your brain will not adjust for these calories when you eat real food , so you get the calories from booze as well as the food calories that you would have consumed in the first place . 27 .
Alcohol will also devastate your bones as it upsets our body's natural balance of bone creation and destruction , which is so-called bone remodeling . One to two drinks a day will increase your risk of osteoporosis by 34% , and anything over that will increase it by over 60% . 28 .
The end result of this generalized bone destruction is a dramatically higher risk of fractures . A classic study looked at 100 consecutive patients with fractures admitted to a hospital in Seattle . A whopping 62% of patients who had at least three fractures were heavy drinkers .
Often these people will be walking around with undiagnosed fractures for years , often to their ribs . Twenty-nine regardless of your sex , drinking will also dramatically affect your fertility . A study with male heavy drinkers found that only 12% had normal sperm parameters , compared to 30% for a control group .
Women who are alcohol dependent in their late 20s have a 73% decrease likelihood of giving birth . 30 . Studies with identical twins that lead different lifestyles found that alcohol is the third most important risk factor for facial aging after smoking and exposure to the sun .
The skin damage accumulates steadily through the years and by the age of 70 , drinkers will look , on average , two years older than non-drinkers . 31 . This is a best-case scenario , as drinkers are also far more likely to engage in other unhealthy habits , most notably smoking .
While only 6.5% of non-smokers are heavy drinkers , the figure rises to 20% amongst smokers , setting the stage for a cumulative and devastating effect on your skin . 32 . Researchers have identified seven ways alcohol ages a female drinker's face .
These are the creation of forehead lines , crow's feet , under-eye puffiness , visible blood vessels , as well as loss of cheek volume and wrinkles in the corners of the mouth and between the eyebrows . Thirty-three up to one in four children in the United States are exposed to alcohol abuse or dependence in their family .
Thirty-four compared to their peers , these children are two to ten times more likely to develop drinking problems as adults .
Thirty-five these are often best-case scenarios , as a whopping 14% of pregnant women report they continue to drink and 5% admit to binge drinking , and a number of these cases will lead to fetal alcohol syndrome , an irreversible condition that can involve permanent physical and psychological problems . 36 . The link between alcohol and violent crimes is terrifying .
Alcohol clouds the person's judgement predisposes them to dramatic mood swings and removes their inhibitions . According to the FBI , 48% of convicted murderers were drinking before or while committing the crime . 37 . Two-thirds of victims of violence from their partners report that their perpetrator had been drinking . 38 .
Four out of ten people who abuse children confess to being under the influence of alcohol at the time . 39 . The World Health Organization estimates that 16.5% of all crimes in the US are linked to alcohol . 40 . The overall cost to the economy is staggering .
The last estimate from 2006 put the total bill at $223 billion , which today would be equivalent to $347 billion . 41 . Only 11% of these costs are healthcare related . The vast majority over 70% are down to lost productivity , either due to incarceration or absenteeism and reduced work performance . 42 . The upfront costs also add up quickly .
If you drink only two glasses of wine a day , you could be spending around $3,000 per year . That's just the purchase price , not considering the healthcare and productivity losses . 43 . Drinking and joblessness go hand in hand . According to one study , 58% of unemployed people binge drink , compared to 33% of full-time workers . 44 .
Add the direct and indirect costs and you have a recipe for disaster . A branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol . This compares to only 26% who are addicted to other drugs . 45 . Rehab does not come cheap .
A one-month inpatient program can typically range from anywhere from $5,000 to even $50,000 . Me and my team have spoken to people who have spent over $150,000 on rehab and they still drink . Which leads me to 46 . In spite of the price tag , traditional rehab treatments have appalling success rates .
According to some estimates , just 40% actually complete their programs and by the end of the first year , up to 80% will relapse . 47 . Approximately 20% of the US population engage in drunk driving . According to the FBI data , police arrested more than 443,000 people on suspicion of drunk driving in 2021 . 48 .
Every day , between 30 to 40 people in the US die from drunk driving accidents . This works out to over 13,000 deaths annually nearly one-third of all car crash deaths . 49 . The cognitive distortions and loss inhibition that accompany heavy drinking increase the risk of suicide by up to 90 times .
Between one to two-thirds of people who take their lives test positive for alcohol in their system . 50 . Now , after 49 shocking statistics , I've left one of the most disturbing for last . Federal regulation requires that cigarette packages must carry health warnings comprising of at least the top 50% of the package and the rear sides .
The warnings must be in colour and in the same orientation as the rest of the text . By contrast , alcoholic beverages need only carry a tiny warning text . This is typically on the reverse , in fine black and white print , ensuring that nobody will notice . This pathetic little piece of text only carries two warnings . Are you ready ?
These are A that pregnant women should avoid drinking and B that drinking impairs your ability to drive or operate machinery and may may cause health warnings Listen . Don't become a statistic . If you want help , head over to SoberClearcom . Have a great day . Thanks for checking out the Stop Drinking podcast by SoberClear .
If you want to learn more about how we work with people to help them stop drinking effortlessly , then make sure to visit wwwsoberclearcom .