A new push by anti-alcohol advocates to impose new restrictions on availability and an increase in taxes on alcohol beverages is likely following publication of a new study in JAMA Network Open reporting a substantial increase in the rate of alcohol-induced deaths from 2000 to 2016.
“Rates of alcohol-induced deaths in the United States have now reached those of the United Kingdom, where the rate of alcohol-specific deaths in 2016 was 11.7 deaths per 100 000 residents,” the study says, adding:
“However, rates in the United Kingdom have been largely stable since 2013, in contrast with the rapid increases we observed during this period in the United States. In Canada, increases from 2001 to 2017 have also been noted, particularly among women. Clearly, alcohol-induced deaths are a major problem worldwide, meriting a substantial public health response.”
The increased rate of alcohol-induced death was attributed largely to alcoholic liver disease and occurred among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN), white men and women, Asian Pacific men and women and Latina women.
Although declines occurred among black women from 2000 to 2007, black men from 2000 to 2012, and Latino men from 2000 to 2013, these promising trends reversed course, and rates of alcohol-induced mortality increased from 2013 to 2016 in all examined racial/ethnic groups, the study notes.
The steepest increases in the rates of alcohol-induced deaths among white individuals in our study population occurred among younger adults, particularly women, the study reports.
The study does not blame simply an increase in alcohol consumption levels, say an increase is “unlikely to fully explain mortality trends. Lack of access to high quality care for alcohol misuse and alcohol-associated diseases plays an important role in mortality vs morbidity.21 Indeed, alcohol-induced deaths should be considered a function of both alcohol misuse and insufficient primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.”
The study found the largest burden of alcohol-induced death and the largest absolute increases occurred among AIAN individuals.