Alcoholism in the United States: How Common Is It?
Determining the exact number of people with alcoholism isn’t possible in the United States. That’s because there’s not an official definition of alcoholism. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), drinking problems are officially called alcohol use disorders. These disorders range from mild to severe.
So, how many Americans suffer from these disorders? We can look at statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to determine how many people have them. Generally, men report suffering from alcohol-related issues more often than women. Alcohol issues are more common among younger people as well.
Alcohol Use in the United States
More than 85% of Americans over the age of 18 have reported consuming alcohol at some point within their lives. Nearly three-quarters of them said they’d had at least one drink within the last 12 months as well. Just over half of them said they’d had a drink within the last month.
Those habits alone don’t help to determine how many of those people qualify for an alcohol use disorder. While heavy drinking has many negative health impacts, moderate drinking can contribute to modest health benefits.
Drinking Definitions by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Drinking in moderation describes regular consumption of alcohol that’s nonproblematic. Women are considered moderate drinkers if they’re consuming one alcoholic beverage a day. Men are moderate drinkers if they’re drinking up to two alcoholic beverages per day.
Binge drinking is a problematic pattern of alcohol consumption. If you’ve consumed more than five alcoholic beverages in a single day, you might be a binge drinker. That’s especially true if you’re doing this at least once a month.
Heavy drinking is the most problematic pattern of alcohol consumption. Drinking more than five alcoholic beverages a day five times per month would be considered heavy drinking. Heavy drinking can lead to a lot of health problems.
Statistics on Binge Drinking and Heavy Drinking
In a 2019 study, Nearly 26% of American adults reported binge drinking behavior within the last 30 days. Over 6% of them reported heavy drinking behavior within the last month as well. The prevalence of these disorders varies depending on demographics. The highest rate seems to be in people with a college education.
Heavy Drinking and Binge Drinking in Men
Men between the ages of 18 and 24 seem to have the highest rates of these behaviors. It’s particularly high among the unemployed as well.
More than half of men reported consuming alcohol within the last 30 days. According to the CDC, men are twice as likely as women to become binge drinkers, and 22% of them reported binge drinking at least five times a month. That makes them much more likely to be heavy drinkers, too.
Heavy Drinking and Binge Drinking in Women
The CDC’s statistics show that about 50% of women have consumed alcohol within the last 30 days. Only 13% of them reported binge drinking at least four times a month, though. That makes women much less likely than men to qualify for an alcohol use disorder.
Heavy Drinking and Binge Drinking in College Students
College students are much more likely than other young people to report heavy drinking. Nearly 55% of them reported drinking alcohol within the last 30 days. More than a third of them reported episodes of binge drinking within the last month. Almost 10% of them reported heavy drinking as well. These statistics are for students between the ages of 18 and 22. Non-students in the same age range report far less alcohol consumption.
Heavy Drinking and Binge Drinking in Minors
Nearly 30% of high schoolers reported drinking alcohol within the last 30 days, according to the CDC. Nearly 15% of them reported episodes of binge drinking within the same timeframe. Another study by the NSDUH found similar rates of alcohol use among minors.
Statistics on Alcohol Use Disorders in the United States
According to the NSDUH, almost 6% of Americans qualify for an alcohol use disorder. That means more than 14 million people have reported problematic drinking behaviors, and 9.2 million of them are men, while 5.3 million are women. As a result, over 7% of all men and 4% of all women in the United States qualify for an alcohol use disorder.
Most of them don’t seek treatment, though. In fact, only 7.9% of adults suffering from alcohol use disorders look for professional help. That includes 8% of men with alcohol use disorder and 7.7% of women with the disorder.
Alcohol use disorders are more common among people with only a high school education. Lower socioeconomic status correlates with higher rates of alcohol abuse, too.
Signs and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorders
The DSM-5 defines the symptoms of alcohol use disorders. If you’ve had any of the following symptoms, then you might be suffering from the disorder.
• Have you ever consumed more alcohol than you originally intended? A lot of people plan on drinking a limited amount, but they end up drinking a lot more than planned by the end of the night. If you’ve tried to stop drinking without success, you might be suffering from a disorder.
• If you’ve tried to cut back on drinking unsuccessfully, you might have an alcohol disorder. Plenty of people know they have a problem, but they’re unable to stop drinking without external support.
• Do you spend a lot of time planning to drink? Or, have you spent too much time recovering from drinking? These are both signs of an alcohol use disorder. Drinking too much causes harm to the body, and you’ll feel ill the next day. If hangovers have been a distraction lately, you might have an alcohol use disorder.
• If you’re drinking disrupts your daily life, then you might have an alcohol use disorder. Have you failed to meet a deadline at work because of drinking? Excessive drinking makes it difficult to function as a responsible adult for a lot of people. If you’re late to meetings because of drinking, that would be another sign.
• Has your alcohol consumption impacted your ability to maintain healthy relationships? If it has, then you might have an alcohol use disorder. Fighting with your loved ones is a common effect of excessive alcohol consumption. Continuing to drink despite those problems would signal a disorder.
• Drinking too much alcohol can also lead to tolerance. If you’re drinking more to compensate for tolerance, that’s another sign of a disorder. Trying to drink more to achieve the same effects is a major indication of problems.
• When you’re not drinking, do you suffer from withdrawal symptoms? When people drink too much, their bodies become dependent on the substance. Then, after they stop drinking, they might start shaking. You could also experience heightened anxiety. Any of this would point to an alcohol use disorder.
Health Risks of Excessive Alcohol Consumption
More than 95,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes each year. About 68,000 of them are men. As a result, alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Binge drinking and heavy drinking can cause a lot of different health issues.
• You’ll have a higher risk of cancer. That includes cancers of the stomach, pancreas, and liver. Alcohol can be a carcinogen in high doses.
• Alcohol poisoning could cause you to lose consciousness. Your odds of getting into a motor vehicle accident also increase.
• Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to issues with your memory. That means you could suffer from dementia. Or, you might have difficulty performing well in school.
• A lot of binge drinkers report suffering from anxiety and depression as well. The odds of developing mental health issues increase with excessive alcohol consumption.
• Binge drinking and heavy drinking could also increase the odds of violence in the home. Pregnant women might cause issues with their baby’s health, too.
• Excessive drinking tends to lead to problems maintaining employment. People suffering from alcohol use disorders report more incidences of unemployment.
• People who drink a lot also suffer from higher rates of common health issues. That includes conditions like high blood pressure and liver disease.
• Another health concern would be risky sexual behaviors. Drinking alcohol lowers our inhibitions. So, you might take risks you wouldn’t have otherwise.
• Finally, family problems are a major concern among people with alcohol use disorders. If you’ve had issues with your family, they might be the result of a problem with alcohol use.
Getting Help for an Alcohol Use Disorder
There are ways for you to get help. Detoxing from alcohol is easier with help from an outpatient facility like ours at BlueCrest Recovery Center. Outpatient treatment can be an effective way to combat these disorders while you continue going to work or school. We can teach you new coping mechanisms to overcome cravings. If you think you’re suffering from an alcohol use disorder, then our team of professionals may be able to help. Contact us today to
