Deaths From Excessive Drinking Rose in the US During Pandemic

Deaths associated with excessive alcohol use have been rising over the past 20 years. But during 2020-2021 they went up dramatically—from an average of about 138 000 deaths during 2016-2017 to more than 178 000 deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The change represents a 29% increase in lives lost, according to results published in the MMWR.