Alcohol Use Disorder Statistics and Demographics

Alcohol use disorder (formerly called alcoholism or alcohol abuse) impacts people from all walks of life. Alcohol consumption also impacts families, loved ones, communities, and the nation as a whole. Here are some alcohol facts and demographics on alcohol dependence from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (NCDAS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA):

Alcohol Use Disorder Statistics with Gender Demographics

• Alcohol use disorder is responsible for 95,510 deaths in the U.S each year.

• 86.4% of Americans over the age of 18 years have engaged in alcohol consumption.

• 15 million Americans have an alcohol use disorder and only 8% of these people will get treatment.

• 80% of veterans in the U.S have some type of alcohol consumption problem.

• 7.5 million adolescents in the U.S. 17 years of age and younger live with at least one parent with an alcohol use disorder.

• Alcohol use disorder costs the nation 249 billion dollars each year:
  
  

  • 28 billion dollars in healthcare costs.

  • 179 billion dollars in lost productivity in the workplace.

  • 13 billion dollars in collision accidents.

  • 25 billion dollars in the criminal justice system.

• Individuals who drink alcohol before the age of 15 years have a five times higher risk of developing an alcohol use disorder than those who have their first drink at 21 years of age and older.

• Females in this above group are at even higher risk for developing an alcohol use disorder than their male counterparts.

• In 2019, 25.8% of individuals reported binge drinking in the past month:

  • 29.7% of men.

  • 22.2% of women.

• Individuals who engaged in high-intensity alcohol consumption, drinking two times the amount of gender-specific binge drinking were 70 times more likely to go to the emergency department for an adverse reaction to heavy drinking.

• Individuals of all age groups who consumed more than three times the amount of gender-specific binge drinking amounts were 93 times more likely to have an alcohol-related emergency room visit.

• According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) statistics, almost 15 million people over the age of 12 in the U.S. had an alcohol use disorder:

  • 9 million men.

  • 5.5 million women.

• Also from the 2019 NSDUH, 414,000 youth aged 12 to 17 years had an AUD:

  • 163,000 males.

  • 251,000 females.

• 7.2% of individuals aged 12 and older received alcohol treatment for an alcohol use disorder.

• 6.4% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years received substance abuse treatment for an alcohol use disorder.

• 7.3% of adults 18 years of age and older received alcohol treatment for an alcohol use disorder.

• Alcohol consumption combined with opioid drug use to about 22.1% of opioid-related overdose deaths.

• 28% of all driving fatalities were alcohol-related.

Ethnic Demographics Including Ratings by Gender

Historically, research on ethnic demographics on the prevalence of drinking and risk factors has been inconsistent, but this NIAAA-published demographic study shows:

• White males (74.27%) and females (65.10%) have the highest rates of alcohol consumption.

• Latino males (69.99%) and females (49.52%) have the second-highest rate of alcohol consumption.

• Native American males (65.48%) and females (51.66%) have the third-highest rate of alcohol consumption.

• Black males (62.62%) and females (45.92%) have the fourth-highest rate of alcohol consumption.

• Asian males (61.51 %) and females (36.11%) have the fifth-highest rate of alcohol consumption.

The alcohol consumption rate percentages change based on ethnicity once drinking has been established in an individual, with weekly and daily heavy drinking numbers increasing for certain groups. In most instances, male alcohol consumption was heavier for established drinkers with the exception of Native American women, in which weekly heavy drinking was more prevalent, and daily drinking was slightly higher in Asian women than in Asian men.

Some other interesting demographic findings from this study: national surveys show differences in rates of alcohol consumption among ethnic groups, including drinking habits and their associated risk factors for negative outcomes from alcohol use, for example, binge drinking and heavy drinking. NSDUH, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health assembled 30-day estimates of previous alcohol consumption in adult drinkers, showing alcohol consumption to be greater for the white population at 59.8%, lowest for Asian Americans at 38%, and similar for Native Americans (both Alaska Natives and American Indians at 47.8%, Latinos at 46.3%, and Blacks at 43.8 %. The Native American population had the greatest heavy drinking rate (12.1%) with Whites following second at 8.3% and Latinos at 6.1%. A greater portion of Native Americans at 29.6 percent also engaged in binge drinking, with somewhat lower percentages for whites at 25.9%, Latinos at 25.6%, and Blacks at 21.4%. Relative to other ethnic/demographic groups, the proportion of Asian Americans 2.7%, and Blacks at 4.7%, who engage in heavy drinking, the prevalence of heavy drinking was relatively low.

Alcohol dependence, whether it's underage drinking, binge drinking, heavy alcohol use, or any uncontrolled alcohol consumption by any and every age group or gender, is a serious problem that is on the rise and killing thousands of people each year. Alcohol causes health problems (such as liver disease), impacts behavioral health, work, relationships, and, in the worst circumstances, becomes a life or death issue. However, with the help from the right health professional and addiction treatment center, recovery is possible. Caron helps you beat the odds and offers comprehensive alcohol treatment programs for individuals with alcohol use disorder (formerly called alcohol abuse). We have inpatient and outpatient substance treatment programs that may include psychiatry, behavioral therapy, support groups, medical services, detox treatments, and more. Caron offers mental health services for clients' mental illness along with addiction treatment because mental health issues and substance dependence are sometimes co-occurring disorders. Our treatment programs are tailored to the individual to fit your specific medical, alcohol, substance use, and mental health problems. If you or a loved one are ready to break free from the bonds of an alcohol use disorder, Caron is here for you. Call 1-800-854-6023 today or contact us online.