We all know that alcohol consumption is commonplace amongst people across America. But just how much are people actually drinking during a given year? Truth be told, the stat is rather staggering. According to new research released from The Associated Press, U.S. citizens take in as much as 2.3 gallons of booze every 12 months. Broken apart simply, that equates to 500 drinks a year or nine beverages each week.
The AP also published one more astonishing fact to go alongside that. As of 2019, Americans are drinking more alcohol than they were before the start of Prohibition.
At that time, the consumption level was so alarming (roughly 2 gallons a year) that Congress went on to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages. That certainly makes you wonder about where we’re at today and the state of U.S. alcoholism.
Boston researcher Dr. Tim Naimi was quoted in the AP article and found the stats quite concerning. He even felt they deserved national attention.
“Consumption has been going up. Harms (from alcohol) have been going up,” Dr. Naimi told the site. “And there’s not been a policy response to match it.”
Obviously we’re not likely to see anything like Prohibition (which ironically first occurred 100 years ago this month) happen again, but serious alcohol problems could lead to bigger health problems for the country.
Interestingly, the AP shared a breakout of which particular drinks were getting consumed most.
From what we can see above, wine consumption has seen a steady increase since the 1990’s. Spirits (such as cocktails and mixed drinks) peaked during the 1970’s, but are on the rise again. And beer remains America’s most popular booze beverage, with about a gallon consumed each year.
The article then correctly pointed out all of the health risks for people who drink at those levels. As we all know, cirrhosis of the liver is a common after effect of long term drinking. There have also been links to issues like high blood pressure, strokes and heart disease.
We understand that it’s easy to lose track of just how often you may be consuming alcohol. But it is something to pay attention to and, as the study shows, it is becoming more and more common to over-indulge.
If you suspect that an actual problem may be afoot for you or someone you care about, please do not hesitate to reach out.
