History

• Between 1982 and 1993, deaths ruled to be alcohol related in the U.S. totaled 266,291. It equals out to be one death every 30 minutes.
  
  

Significance

• Alcohol ranks as the third leading cause of preventable, lifestyle-related deaths every year in the U.S., coming after tobacco use and poor eating habits.
  
  

Types

• The most common types of deaths associated with alcohol in the U.S. are traffic accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, cancer and homicide.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Zero tolerance laws in the U.S. for underage drinking and drinking and driving, combined with intervention programs, prevent more alcohol-related deaths from occurring each year.
  
  

Warning

• Drinking five or more alcoholic beverages at a time significantly increases a person's risk for an illness or alcohol-related death.