Alcoholism Statistics by Race: What the Numbers Reveal

Alcohol abuse, also called problem drinking, occurs when drinking alcohol becomes an issue that creates negative consequences for a person. South Carolina has more alcohol-related deaths per capita than the average state, and those deaths are 18.1% more likely to involve underage drinkers. Nebraska ranks below average in the rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita but above average in underage deaths. The death rate from excessive alcohol use in Hawaii is below average, but alcohol-related death is more prevalent among males than anywhere else in the United States (excluding territories).

How much alcohol is consumed globally?

Understanding how alcohol misuse breaks down by age group is important because interventions can then be more precisely targeted. Different life stages – such as adolescence, young adulthood, mid-life, and older adulthood – are marked by unique stressors, social norms, and patterns of behavior that influence drinking what is the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism habits. Understanding alcohol consumption patterns across the United States can provide insights into cultural, social, and health-related aspects of American life.

Global beer consumption

Friends and family members of alcoholic individuals have often developed a codependent relationship with the substance abuser. Specifically, they often feel compelled to either help their loved one secure alcohol or to repair situations caused by the alcoholic’s alcohol use. Social control involves family members and other significant others of the alcoholic in treatment. Residential rehab treatment, which also provides 24/7 supervised care, is a helpful next step after detox. In this study, the authors followed a cohort of more than 5,000 individuals with and without a mental health disorder (but without a drug use disorder) over a 10-year period.

Economic and Societal Costs of Alcohol Misuse

Therefore, a personalized treatment plan, often involving a combination of therapies, is crucial for long-term recovery. Additionally, addressing co-occurring mental health disorders is essential, as they often contribute to substance use disorders. Access to quality treatment can be facilitated through resources like the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator, which helps individuals find evidence-based care. Medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, such as naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram, can assist individuals in reducing or stopping alcohol consumption and preventing relapse. Support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) provide a community of individuals with shared experiences and a commitment to sobriety.

Alcohol consumption continues to hold a vital role in social bonding and engagement for many. Moderate alcohol drink or social drinking for a lot is pleasurable, although this mild drinking has a disease burden as well. For example, in Madagascar, 65% of adult drinkers have had a binge drinking session instead of reduced usage over longer time periods. The amount of alcohol consumed, in a day, has got to be higher than the accepted average for it to be considered problem drinking.

Receiving proper treatment is also rare among teens; in 2023, 73,000 youth with AUD received treatment, accounting for only what is alcoholism 9.7% of youth with AUD 1. The map shows the share of all road traffic deaths attributed to alcohol consumption over the national legal limit for alcohol consumption. The breakdown of alcohol use disorders by gender for any country can be viewed here; the majority of people with alcohol use disorders – around three-quarters – are male. It’s estimated that globally, around 1 percent of the population has an alcohol use disorder.

Four Notable Data Points by Region

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS), nearly half of all Americans aged 12 and older have used an illicit substance at least once in their lives. One in three people who receive treatment for alcohol problems remain symptom-free after one year, according to a study cited by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that results when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. FAS causes growth problems in some babies, as well as intellectual disabilities or behavioral problems. Interestingly, the U.S. did not even make the top five when it came to the availability of substance abuse treatment. America tied with Spain for the most cocaine used, and we came in second (per capita) for marijuana use.

Intoxication also makes people generally less alert in scanning the environment for hazards, less reliable in interpreting what is observed, and inclined to relax or be easily distracted. At a BAC of 0.05 percent, which for most people requires three or more drinks within an hour, physical skills begin to deteriorate. At BACs of 0.08 to 0.10 percent, most jurisdictions consider a person legally intoxicated. At BACs of 0.15 to 0.30 percent a person can grow stuporous or lose consciousness.

Codependency is the tendency to interact with another person in an excessively passive or caretaking manner that negatively affects the quality of the codependent individual’s life. The codependent person has a pattern of putting their own needs below those of others, likely has low self-esteem, and tends to engage in denial, excessive compliance, and control. In the past, light or moderate alcohol consumption was linked to health benefits or even considered safe. Newer analyses show that no level of alcohol consumption is considered to be safe or beneficial. The World Health Organization in 2023 published a statement in The Lancet Public Health stating that when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.

Alcoholism Statistics by Race: What the Numbers Really Say (and Why They Matter)

• Most of the comparative research to date has focused on established market economies (i.e., developed countries).
• Louisiana has the nation’s highest rate of under-21 drinkers among its alcohol-related deaths.
• As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally.
• The groups based their beliefs about alcohol moderation and abstinence on the ideas of Dr. Benjamin Rush.

In 2023, 20.4 million or 7.9% of all adults aged 18 and older in the US had both AMI and at least one SUD in the past year. After calling 911, place any unconscious person in the recovery position while you wait for help to arrive. This allows any bodily fluids to drain out of the mouth and nose, reducing the risk of aspiration and asphyxiation. Alcohol consumption increased a lot in middle-income as well as income countries like India, Vietnam as well as China. The status report on alcohol showed that the US in comparison reported 8.7 litres of alcohol used a year, with an equivalent of twenty-nine handles of vodka for every person.

• This lack of consistency could be accounted for by the varying methods of measurement used across the studies.
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in people whose mothers drank alcohol while pregnant.
• An estimated 500 to 1,000 of the infants born each year to alcoholic mothers are mentally handicapped due to fetal alcohol syndrome.
• In the early 1900s, the public opinion on alcohol consumption continued in a negative trajectory.
• Despite these limitations, aggregate-level studies can complement individual-level studies.

We also find correlates in drinking patterns when we look at groupings of income, education or work status. Although those in lower income or educational status groups often drink less overall, they are more likely to have lower-frequency, higher-intensity drinking patterns. Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do. The charts show global consumption of beer, first in terms of beer as a share of total alcohol consumption, and then the estimated average consumption per person. As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period. Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here.

• For those with severe alcohol use disorder, residential treatment programs offer an immersive environment with access to medical and psychological support.
• The map of the percentage of people ages who used alcohol within a month reveals that states like Vermont and New Hampshire have higher rates of underage drinking.
• Despite considerable variation in drinking cultures and research approaches, European countries tend to have more in common in these respects than do, for example, African and European countries (Room 1988).

Binge Drinking Among Young People – Facts and Statistics

In South Africa and Papua New Guinea, more than half of all traffic deaths are attributable to alcohol consumption. At the end of this topic page, we provide a number of potential sources of support and guidance for those concerned about uncontrolled drinking or alcohol dependency. Alcohol use disorder, which includes alcohol dependence, is defined in the WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (available here). Alcohol use disorder (AUD) refers to the drinking of alcohol that causes mental and physical health problems.