Excessive alcohol deaths surged during pandemic, CDC data shows
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The COVID-19 pandemic caused isolation and stress, and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows more people lost their lives after reaching for the bottle to cope.
According to the CDC data, the annual average number of deaths related to excessive alcohol use increased 29 percent from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021. The CDC report blames excessive alcohol use for about 178,000 deaths in the U.S. each year during 2020 and 2021, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's 488 deaths per day.
Some addiction and recovery specialists in Pittsburgh fear the rise will continue. They hope people find the courage to reach out for help and advise people to not wait until alcohol causes more harm to their relationships and body.
"I think that reflects what we're seeing on the front lines in the clinical space both in the office and hospital. Just a lot of disease, a lot of impact on health from alcohol-related events," said Dr. Mark Guy, a physician with the addiction medicine/recovery medicine team at Allegheny Health Network.
Sadly, Dr. Guy and other doctors think the rise could hold steady.
"I would not be surprised if that trend continues. I don't know what the rate of rise would be, but we have not seen a plateau to that and return to something that's more hopeful," Dr. Guy said.
The new CDC report said more than 6,6000 people in Pennsylvania die from excessive drinking in an average year. The report also found nationwide, there were more alcohol-related deaths among men, but the increase was larger for women.
Dr. Guy said booze impacts all of us in some way. He said people who drink every day can become dependent on alcohol and excessive drinking can lead to a lot of unfortunate consequences.
"It can have really severe liver disease at a very early age. We're seeing folks in their 30s being in line for liver transplants because of significant alcohol use," Guy said.
"It can lead to liver problems, heart problems, different kinds of cancer, it can lead to neurologic problems. There's really no part of the body that's safe from the impact of alcohol," said Dr. Jody Glance, clinical chief of addiction medicine at UPMC Western Behavioral Health.
Dr. Glance said alcohol can sneak up and surprise you.
"If we keep drinking then it's going to cause more and more physical harm to us. So, it's very important to reach out for help and when you start to notice its a problem, don't wait until it becomes more of a problem," Dr. Glance said.
She explained her thoughts on the alcohol-related death increase.
"We know that things like social isolation can really lead to an increase in any kind of substance use, especially alcohol use. So, I think it's not necessarily surprising," said Dr. Glance.
Both Guy and Glance say to talk to your doctor, a friend or family member because talking is the first step. It takes a lot of courage, but you don't have to struggle alone.
"It's showing how many of us can potentially struggle with alcohol use, and I hope this report shows people you're not alone if you're drinking more than you anticipated. So, please do reach out, please check in on people around you that you're concerned about," said Dr. Glance.
Dr. Guy said he thinks health care professionals are much better about non-stigmatized treatment now.
"It takes an enormous amount of self-reflection and honesty and courage, but there are great medications that support alcohol use reduction and alcohol abstinence that are really well tolerated and accessible and easy to manage. Everyone has their own path where they want to go with their alcohol consumption and the medication assisted treatment is just part of it. We never recommend just one domain to get healthy," Dr Guy said.
If you or a loved one is drinking excessively and you're concerned, here are many resources available through AHN and UPMC.
People can also call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 to get free help with finding treatment and information.