Alcohol's a killer, too

The rise in deaths from alcohol is a problem we can help ease by moderating our drinking and urging loved ones to do the same.

The Editorial Board
Sun, 19 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

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Deaths from illegal drugs such as cocaine, fentanyl, and opioids — while down nationally but still rising in Lucas County and Ohio — get a lot of attention, and for good reason.

But the overdose crisis spurred by people’s use of illegal substances should not blind us to the dangers of a certain depressant, one that’s legal but lethal if not consumed in moderation.

Alcohol-related deaths — everything from driving under the influence and overdoses to chronic diseases tied to long-term drinking — are the third-leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The trend in these deaths is going in the wrong direction, both nationally and in Lucas County, and that’s a tragedy because, as the CDC notes, it is preventable.

The number of alcohol-related deaths doubled from 35,914 to 72,558 between 1999 and 2017 nationwide. In Lucas County, the same statistic jumped 30 percent between 2007 and 2016, leveling off at an alarmingly high 180 or more in the past three years, according to the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

Eric Zgodzinski, the department’s director, said alcohol abuse is a public health concern. “It’s a legal substance,” he said, but “you really need to be responsible” and consume it in moderation.

And keeping one’s drinking in check is important in the short term to avoid deadly crashes and alcohol poisoning, and the long term to prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.

This warning is especially relevant to those ages 55 to 64, both nationally and in Lucas County. The acute alcohol‐related death rate rose most for people ages 55 to 64 in the national study. And that age group accounted for the most alcohol-related deaths in Lucas County at 523 lives cut short by alcohol from 2007 through 2018. That compares with 469 Lucas County residents ages 65 and up and 447 in the 45 to 54 age range.

The CDC estimates that 88,000 people die from alcohol-related deaths each year. That’s approximately 62,000 men and 26,000 women dying from this preventable cause. And the national study found the rate among women, while far lower than among men, rising much faster, increasing 85 percent since 1999, compared to a 39 percent increase among men.

The jump in deaths from alcohol is alarming, something medical and public policy experts need to explore and address. But it’s also a problem all of us can help alleviate, through moderation in our own drinking and words of encouragement to do the same among our friends and family.

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