U.S. Alcohol-Linked Deaths Doubled in 20 Years [Video]

Key Takeaways

Alcohol-related deaths are on the rise in the United StatesWomen have been especially hard-hit as their drinking habits have changedMarketing campaigns targeting women may be a contributor, researchers say

TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Alcohol-related deaths have surged in the United States, nearly doubling over 20 years, and a growing number of victims are women, a new study warns.

“Our study found significant gender differences in alcohol-related [death rates],” said senior author Yiota Kitsantas, head of population health and social medicine at the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) College of Medicine. “While men had higher overall death rates, women experienced a larger relative increase, which may reflect changing social norms and the alcohol industry’s increased targeting of women through marketing campaigns.”

For the study, she and her colleagues looked at U.S. government data from 1999 to 2020.

Over that period, the rate of alcohol-related deaths nearly doubled — from 10.7 …