Deaths caused by alcohol consumption increased in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the rate of alcohol-related deaths increasing by 26% from 2019 to 2020, the CDC reported.
Around 49,000 alcohol-related deaths were recorded in 2020, increasing from around 39,000 in 2019. The US CDC data showed, alcohol caused 13.1 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2020, up from 10.4 deaths in 2019. Alcohol-related deaths have increased by 7% a year from 2000 to 2018, but the isolation and fear of COVID-19 has caused people to drink more.
George F. Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said they know that in major traumatic events, people start drinking more, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been a major stressor for the lives of the people.
George F. Koon continued by saying that, they have found that around 25% of the population has increased their drinking, and these were the people who had been drinking to cope with stress, and most of the people who drink alcohol to cope with stress are more likely to have and an alcohol disorder.
According to the report, for men, the death rate was highest in the 55 to 64 age group, with around 60 deaths for every 100,000 people. For women, the highest death rate also occurred in the same age group, with around 21 deaths per 100,000 people.
