Alcohol overuse causes 178,000 American deaths annually. Why is it so undertreated?

 There is something that kills more Americans every year than drug overdoses, than guns, than car accidents. It’s legal, doesn’t require a background check to buy, is widely advertised, and if you’re 21, you can probably buy it at your corner store. It’s called alcohol.

While cold beers, glasses of wine, and hard liquor cocktails are often treated as end-of-the-workday or weekend indulgences, alcohol is technically a psychoactive, addictive drug, one linked to over 50 fatal conditions, including heart disease; breast, pancreatic, and stomach cancers; liver disease; hypertension; and stroke. According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 178,000 people died in the US each year in 2020 and 2021 because of excessive alcohol use — a 29 percent increase from just five years before. Each year, those deaths shortened lives by an average of 23 years, resulting in an astounding 4 million years of potential life lost. As a result, alcohol is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the country.

More and more research supports the conclusion that even light drinking — that is, less than 15 drinks a week for men or eight drinks a week for women — can contribute to an increased risk for heart disease and cancers. More recent medical recommendations in countries like Canada have increasingly tightened, moving toward the idea that there is no truly safe level of alcohol consumption.

New CDC data shows alcohol kills 178,000 Americans a year. Why is it undertreated? - Vox