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The Connection of Alcoholism and Life Expectancy

Addiction , Alcoholism David Rofofsky | October 30, 2024

Alcoholism and Life Expectancy

Heavy drinking can lead to a wide range of health problems and diseases, so it’s no wonder that alcoholism and life expectancy are connected. Short-term effects of heavy drinking can lead to sudden death from alcohol poisoning, as well as car accidents caused by driving under the influence or accidental falls while drunk. A large percentage of people who die by suicide drank heavily right before they died, and many people who committed violent crimes were drunk at the time. But many of the people who eventually die due to alcohol-related causes die from a disease, such as cancer or liver damage or failure, that came about because of years or decades of heavy drinking. It’s important to remember that alcoholism is devastating, but help is available from top alcohol rehabs in California like Resurgence Behavioral Health.

What Is the Average Life Expectancy of an Alcohol Drinker?

The impact of alcoholism and life expectancy is thoroughly documented, and the answers are shocking. A 2014 analysis published in the Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica journal looked at the results of all patients who were admitted to a hospital in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden from 1987 to 2006 and were diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. According to the report, the life expectancy was 24 to 28 years shorter in people with alcohol use disorder than the general population. In this case, men hospitalized with alcohol use disorder were found to have an average life expectancy of 47 to 53 years, while women’s life expectancy was 50 to 58 years.

Similar findings have been reported in the United States. An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the deaths and potential life years lost due to heavy drinking from 2011 to 2015. During that time, excessive drinking caused an average of 261 deaths per day, and the life expectancy of people who drank excessively was estimated to have been cut short by 29 years on average.

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How Many Years of Alcoholism Does It Take to Get Cirrhosis?

The health effects of heavy drinking over a long period of time will vary from person to person, depending on factors like their genetic makeup, overall health other than drinking, weight, and age. Still, it’s clear that drinking heavily for years or decades will take a toll on every part of your body, especially your liver. According to the University of Michigan Health, more than 21,000 Americans die each year from alcohol-related liver disease. There are three types of alcohol-related liver disease:

  • Alcohol-related steatohepatitis, also known as fatty liver disease, is an early stage of liver disease caused by a buildup of fat in the liver caused by heavy drinking. Often symptom-free, this can happen fairly soon after heavy drinking, and it goes away if the person quits drinking. If you’re wondering if you can recover from liver damage, the answer is yes — to a certain extent.
  • Alcoholic hepatitis is the next level of liver disease. In this case, the liver is inflamed, swollen, and scarred as cells die. The University of Michigan Health says 35% of heavy drinkers can develop this disease. Mild cases can be reversed by quitting drinking.
  • Alcohol-related cirrhosis is the third and most severe alcohol-related liver disease. The liver of someone with cirrhosis is entirely scarred, shrunk, and hardened, and it can cause liver failure. This damage typically can’t be reversed. It’s estimated that 10 to 20% of heavy drinkers will develop cirrhosis after more than a decade of drinking.

What Is the Most Common Cause of Death for Alcoholics?

When considering the connection between alcoholism and life expectancy, it’s important to understand the causes of alcohol-related deaths. According to WebMD, more than half of alcohol-related deaths are caused by health problems that come from heavy drinking over time — liver disease, cancer, or heart disease especially. In cases like this, death by alcohol from end-stage alcoholism was the overall cause. Still, some more short-term impacts of heavy drinking can become deadly, including alcohol poisoning. Automobile accidents due to driving under the influence are also a common cause of death, as is violence or suicide after heavy drinking.

Life Expectancy and Alcoholism

Which Is Considered the Most Effective Treatment for Alcoholism?

The most effective treatment for alcoholism will be whatever works for the person to quit drinking and allow their body to start recovering from the damage caused by repeated heavy drinking. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, we offer a medical detox program that can help people get through alcohol withdrawal safely and make them feel more comfortable as their body rids itself of toxins. Medications and medical support are essential during this brief but important first step toward recovery. After detoxing, most patients will benefit from starting a residential alcohol addiction treatment program that typically lasts for 30 to 90 days. During this time, patients will live in our inpatient rehab facility in Riverside, California, and their days will be devoted to individual and group therapy, holistic therapies, and other treatment programs designed to help them address the underlying causes of their addictions and learn how to handle challenges and temptations once they return home. Medications are also available that can reduce the craving to drink.

Overcome Alcoholism with Help from Resurgence Behavioral Health

Now that you understand how closely connected alcoholism and life expectancy are, it’s important to also understand that these alcohol-related deaths are preventable. Each death is a tragedy, pointing to the need for life-changing and life saving addiction treatment as soon as possible. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, we offer comprehensive treatment for alcoholism and other addictions that can make all the difference. We know that alcohol addiction treatment is effective, and it’s the best chance for you or your loved one to break the chains of addiction once and for all. Get started today by calling us at 855-458-0050.

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David Rofofsky
David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.


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