Alcohol Poisoning: A Real Issue That Kills
A new report released by the CDC states that an average of six people in the United States die every day as a direct result of alcohol poisoning.
More than 2,200 American citizens die every year from alcohol poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This recently published report was compiled using multiple cause-of-death data acquired from the National Vital Statistics System for the years between 2010 and 2012. The death reports analyzed were those of individuals aged 15 and older.
Historically, it had been presumed by many professionals in the field that alcohol poisoning was something that predominantly affected people of younger ages. This new report by the CDC, however, cites that three-quarters of alcohol poisoning deaths occurred in adults between the ages of 35 and 64. Furthermore, these reports indicated that males accounted for approximately 76 percent of such deaths. The population of non-Hispanic, white Americans were found to make up the majority of alcohol poisoning-related deaths overall, but natives of Alaska and Native Americans were found to have the highest estimate of deaths when compiled by groups of one million people.
Dr. Robert Brewer, who co-authored this report for the CDC, says that the findings of this study demonstrate that deaths resulting from alcohol poisoning are much more of a problem than previous estimates would have suggested. However, Dr. Brewer goes on to state that he believes that even the figures that resulted at the conclusion of this study may be an underestimate of the true prevalence of this epidemic.
“This study brings into glaring view the damage that alcohol abuse inflicts on the lives of those who are struggling with it. The need for treatment options in order to elicit a much-needed decline in the number of deaths related to alcohol poisoning is monumental. When people are able to engage in this type of treatment and are able to overcome their addiction, these tragic deaths can be avoided,” said Care Speranza RN, CAC, CEO of Acadiana Addiction Center.
The dangers that are brought to attention by the results of this study indicate that substance abuse problems need to be addressed. However, alcohol poisoning does not only happen to people who have a problem with an addiction to alcohol. Binge-drinking, which has been reported by the CDC as being prevalent among 38 million American adults, can result in alcohol poisoning as well. And there are many people who engage in this type of behavior yet do not struggle with alcoholism. In other words, people may take part in binge-drinking behaviors without having developed an addiction to the point where they feel they need to consume alcohol on an ongoing basis. This CDC report states that, of these 38 million adults, it was said that binge-drinking occurs on an average of four times per month, with an average of eight drinks being consumed during each episode of binge-drinking. Each time a binge-drinking episode occurs, a person is putting him or herself at risk of experiencing alcohol poisoning, ultimately putting his or her life at risk.