Alcohol Causes Nearly 500 U.S. Deaths Daily With Limited Policy Response

Alcohol kills nearly 500 Americans every day and causes more deaths in a typical year than every infectious disease combined, according to a STAT investigation. The drug is manufactured and sold by multinational companies with extensive distribution networks.

Its promoters have at times appeared indifferent to its addictive and harmful properties. For decades alcohol has been associated with destroyed lives, family disruption, economic costs and millions of deaths. It is not treated as a public health emergency.

Alcohol remains central to American social and cultural life for the many people who drink without problems. Research has linked heavy drinking to cancer, heart disease, stroke, cognitive decline, developmental disorders, gun violence and injuries. Alcohol-related injuries, disease and fatalities have increased since 2020.

Older adults, women and young people have been particularly affected, including by a rise in liver-related deaths. A clinician who treats patients with alcohol issues said acute and chronic problems appear in her work every single day, multiple times.

Successive presidential administrations have focused substance-use efforts primarily on illicit drugs such as crack cocaine, heroin or marijuana. Alcohol received attention in January 2025 when a Surgeon General report highlighted its links to cancer.

The current administration has loosened guidelines on drinking and reduced efforts to study, prevent and treat alcohol addiction. An HHS spokesperson said claims that the department is not taking the issue seriously are baseless. The spokesperson pointed to billions of dollars in treatment and recovery funding provided by HHS to state and local governments.

Requests for interviews with HHS leaders on alcohol efforts were not granted. The White House could not be reached for comment. Economic costs of excessive alcohol use exceed $240 billion annually. Alcohol tax revenue has declined for decades as the real cost of drinking has fallen.

Industry groups have opposed proposals for higher taxes or stricter regulation through lobbying of lawmakers and engagement with philanthropy, medicine and science.

Of the 178,000 annual deaths linked to alcohol, roughly one-third result from acute causes such as car crashes and alcohol poisoning. The remainder stem from cancer, heart disease, liver failure and other chronic conditions tied to sustained heavy drinking.

Alcohol’s death toll is second only to tobacco among drugs. More than twice as many Americans consumed alcohol in 2024 as used tobacco products. Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, comparable to obesity and tobacco. Researchers have estimated that limiting consumption to one drink per day among those who drink could prevent 17,450 cancer cases annually.

The World Health Organization has identified addressing problem drinking as one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives. Alcohol-related deaths rose 16 percent during the pandemic and remain above 2019 levels despite some decline in consumption.

The public health system has given less emphasis to medication-based treatments and harm-reduction approaches for alcohol than for other substances. Some health officials and medical associations have cited disputed science regarding potential health benefits of alcohol.

The opioid crisis has drawn more funding, policy attention and media coverage despite lower annual mortality than alcohol.