Alcohol Abuse Facts

• Alcohol abuse facts demonstrate that more than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke.

• 48 percent of persons aged 12 and over in the U.S. are drinkers. This translates to an estimated 109 million people.

• Nearly 18 million Americans (8.5 percent of adults) meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism. These are shocking alcohol abuse facts.

• Alcohol abuse and dependence occurs about two to three times more often in males than females.

• About 50 percent of American adults have been affected by alcohol abuse or dependence in their family.

• Approximately one in four children in the U.S. under 18 years old is exposed to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence in the family.

• Alcohol is the top drug of choice for children and adolescents.

• Alcohol abuse facts state that each day, 7000 children in the U.S. under the age of 16 take their first drink.

• Children of alcoholics are significantly more likely to initiate drinking during adolescence and to develop alcohol use disorders.

• Approximately 20 percent of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior. Binge" drinking means having five or more drinks on one occasion. These are interesting alcohol abuse facts.

• The highest prevalence of binge and heavy drinking was for young adults aged 18 to 25, with the peak rate occurring at age 21.

• Alcohol abuse facts state that more than 35 percent of adults with an alcohol problem developed symptoms such as binge drinking by age 19.

• Alcohol–related crashes (i.e., those in which a driver or pedestrian had a blood alcohol concentration greater than zero) account for 41 percent of all fatal car accidents

• Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes. These are shocking alcohol abuse facts.

• Alcohol abuse facts show that the economic costs of alcohol abuse in the U.S. are estimated to be approximately $185 billion annually.

• The effects of alcohol appear within 10 minutes and peak at about 40 to 60 minutes. Alcohol stays in the bloodstream until the liver can break it down. If alcohol is consumed faster than it can be broken down by the liver, the blood alcohol concentration level rises.

• Alcohol abuse facts include the reality that each state has its own legal definition for alcohol intoxication. Intoxication is defined by blood alcohol concentration. The maximum legal limit usually falls between 0.08 and 0.10 in most states.