You can find alcohol anywhere on the planet, from sprawling metropolises to primitive traditions. In fact, alcohol is so intertwined into modern culture that reaching the legal drinking age serves as a pseudo-rite of passage, marking one of the entry points into adulthood.
Alcohol is widely accepted as a natural component of everyday life, with its use stretching across countless circumstances and contexts. It’s most notably used as a stress reliever and social lubricant, the key ingredient of most parties, events, and gatherings.
Look no further than weddings, where an open, well-stocked bar is considered to be the one indispensable element of having a good time.
However, just because alcohol is widely accepted and used doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you. Alcohol has been a mainstay in mainstream culture since time immemorial, which means its effects have been well-studied and understood.
Without looking at the science behind alcohol’s actual effects on health and longevity, many latch onto vague notions that responsible, moderate drinking imparted more pros than cons to overall health.
After all, alcohol makes for more eventful, fun social experiences that may be challenging to achieve in its absence. And what about a glass of wine with dinner? That can’t be doing more harm than good, can it?
It’s time to round up all those healthful notions about alcohol and do away with them once and for all.
In January of 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) released this statement:
“When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges, WHO’s Unit Lead for Noncommunicable Disease Management and Regional Advisor for Alcohol and Illicit Drugs, goes on to say that “the only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is.”
The report details how the carcinogenic effects of alcohol use across all consumption levels outweigh the potential benefits of light use toward cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
But just how damaging is alcohol consumption to our health? And how is the life expectancy of heavy drinkers and alcoholics impacted?
Mind you, this article’s analysis of the average life expectancy of an alcoholic looks at objective evidence. It is not meant to cast judgment on drinkers or those impacted by alcoholism.
What Is Considered to be Chronic Alcohol Abuse?
Chronic alcohol use goes by many names. The medical world refers to chronic alcohol abuse as an alcohol use disorder. On the other hand, the substance abuse side (namely Alcoholics Anonymous) calls it alcoholism, which is the more familiar moniker.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s use alcoholism to describe chronic alcohol use.
Alcoholism is a pattern of alcohol consumption characterized by difficulty controlling drinking, a fixation with alcohol, or using alcohol with the understanding that it’s causing issues in other areas of one’s life.
Some other signs of alcoholism are:
- The tendency to engage in binge drinking
- Drinking to alleviate withdrawal symptoms
- Drinking more to achieve the same effect
- Expressing interest in cutting back followed by unsuccessful attempts
- Replacing work and hobbies with alcohol consumption
- Drinking at inappropriate times of day
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defines heavy drinking as eight or more drinks per week for women and fifteen or more for men. Moreover, 90% of heavy drinkers engage in binge drinking, which the CDC defines as four or more drinks in a two-to-three-hour period for women and five for men, respectively.
What Is the Average Life Expectancy of An Alcoholic?
A 2014 study published in the National Library of Medicine examined the effect of alcohol use disorder on mortality and life expectancy in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.
The results align with the recent WHO statement and provide a clear look at just how detrimental chronic alcohol use can be for longevity.
The official conclusion of the report states:
“People hospitalized with alcohol use disorder have an average life expectancy of 47–53 years (men) and 50–58 years (women) and die 24–28 years earlier than people in the general population.”
Alcoholism essentially decreases the average life expectancy of a US citizen by a full third.
And if you pair these findings with the facts that up to 60% of alcoholics relapse within the first 30 days out of inpatient care, and 85% relapse within the first year, a bleak outlook starts to form.
Alcohol has its place in our society, but it’s time to dispel myths and debunk false narratives about its influence on life expectancy and health in general.
Consuming it, regardless of the occasion, means accepting the potential health risks that accompany it. Alcohol is not suitable for health and longevity at any level of consumption, like many other activities and behaviors in which humans willingly engage.
Are you ready to lean into life expectancy?
That’s great to hear! Our team at Life Expectancy Calculator is committed to using the latest research and data to ensure our models are as accurate and reliable as possible.
So, try our calculator the next time you’re curious about how long you might live. We promise it’s more empowering than unsettling.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more posts on life expectancy and its many interesting rabbit holes.
