By Jennifer Faringer, MS Ed, CPP-G, Director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Rochester Area (NCADD-RA)

Alcohol Awareness Month in April is an opportunity to consider the risks associated with excessive alcohol use. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, individuals should limit their alcohol intake to no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men. Women who are pregnant are recommended to abstain from alcohol throughout the duration of their pregnancy to ensure the healthiest outcome for their child. Excessive alcohol use can result in injuries and violence, and is responsible for a multitude of health risks, including an increase in the risk of cancer.

Consider these additional alarming statistics for New York State…

• Over 8,050 New Yorkers die each year due to excessive alcohol use.
• Nearly one in five adults reported binge drinking in 2024.
• Among the two million adults who reported binge drinking, 25 percent binged at least four times a month and consume at least seven drinks per occasion.
• Excessive drinking equates to roughly $843 in preventable costs per taxpayer.

Despite its proven dangers, the perception of risks associated with alcohol use remains low and many perceive it as less harmful than other drugs. When asked which drugs they see as a serious health problem, ninety percent of adults believed that prescription opioid misuse was a serious health problem; 88 percent heroin; 83 percent vaping; 40 percent cannabis use; while comparatively 77 percent of adults said alcohol use.

Among teens, 13.9 percent of high school students in New York State reported having their first drink before age thirteen compared to 15 percent for the United States overall. Research tells us that those who start drinking before age fifteen are 3.5 times more likely to report having an alcohol use disorder than those who delay first use until 21 or later. Use of alcohol or other drugs before that time interferes with the normal development of the brain which is not fully developed until the age of 25. Each year, over 100 New Yorkers under 21 die due to alcohol use from motor vehicle crashes, alcohol poisoning, suicides, and homicides.

To learn more about the risks and perceptions around alcohol and other drug misuse, visit our website at www.ncadd-ra.org. To attend our community workshops or request a presentation, email Jennifer Faringer at [email protected].

Sources: CDC Alcohol Use State Fact Sheets; NYS Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2021; NYS Division of Chronic Disease Prevention Public Opinion Poll 2022.