Alcohol Responsible For 1 in 5 Deaths in Young Adults Before Pandemic
Alcohol use spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic as the stressors of daily life and the absence of regular school and work routines drove many people to drink more than they had before. Now, however, a new study of alcohol-related deaths suggests that excessive drinking was a growing problem even before the pandemic hit.Roughly 1 in 8 deaths among U.S. adults 20 to 64 years old were due to excessive drinking over the five-year period ending in 2019, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During this same time frame, drinking caused about 1 in 5 deaths among younger adults 20 to 49 years old.Several policy changes including higher alcohol taxes, tighter regulation of alcohol sales, and expanded screening and treatment for alcohol misuse…