Statistics tell us that today 260 Americans will die because of alcohol abuse. And it will be about the same number tomorrow. Whether that’s a lot or a little on a national scale is hard to say. But what is certain is that all of these deaths are preventable. Alcoholics don’t think about how long they will live, they rarely care about their health and only a few quit drinking when they stand at the line between life and death. In this article we will tell you how long alcoholics live, how alcohol affects the internal organs and gradually destroys the body.
Alcoholism is a disease. Like any other disease, alcoholism worsens a person’s condition. But if we can heal ourselves from a cold, then with addiction to alcohol everything is much more complicated. You need help from people who know what to do. In the New Breath Recovery clinic you can find such help. Here, you will be taken care of in a comfortable environment and you will be able to start a new sober life.
The Link Between Alcoholism and Reduced Life Expectancy
There are various data on how many years the life of a person with alcohol dependence is shortened. The most optimistic estimate is 12 years. But if you look at a 2020 report that estimated alcohol-related deaths in the United States between 2011 and 2015, it gets really scary:
- 95158 deaths per year are caused by excessive alcohol consumption;
- this is equivalent to 2.8 million years of lost life;
- it means that alcoholics on average live 29 years less than people who maintain a sober lifestyle.
Similar findings have been reported in other countries. For example, in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, male heavy drinkers live 47-53 years, while women live 50-58. This is 24-28 years less than other people who do not abuse alcohol.
How Alcohol Affects the Body and Shortens Lifespan
Alcohol abuse leads to malfunctioning of all internal organs. As a poison, it affects both physical and mental health. With age, this negative impact only increases.
Liver damage (cirrhosis, liver failure)
According to various estimates, an adult weighing 70 kg can process up to 160 g of 100% alcohol per day. In terms of strong drinks, this is about 300-400 ml. However, people with addiction often drink much more. Their liver is working hard.
This leads to the following consequences: an
- increase in the size of the liver, the so-called fatty liver;
- inflammation of the liver due to cell death – alcoholic hepatitis. Often accompanied by irreversible scarring of the organ;
- cirrhosis of the liver – organic liver damage, due to which toxins are not removed from the body and the risk of acute poisoning increases.
Due to the toxic effects of metabolites that are not eliminated from the body by the liver, patients lose appetite, they vomit, there may be an exacerbation of mental disorders.
Cardiovascular diseases
High blood pressure and weakened vessel walls often cause strokes. The heart in such people works under extreme conditions, so it often undergoes irreversible changes: enlargement of certain areas, obesity, dying off of muscle tissue. Over time, wear and tear reaches a peak, which may result in a heart attack.
Increased risk of cancer
Alcohol and its breakdown products are carcinogenic. In the body of a person suffering from alcohol dependence, increased concentrations of toxic acetaldehyde and active oxygen molecules, which can damage DNA and disrupt natural processes of vital activity.
The most susceptible to cancer due to alcohol abuse:
- the gastrointestinal tract, through the walls of which the entry of toxins into the blood; the
- liver, which is constantly in contact with metabolites;
- breasts, in which due to the effects of alcohol increased levels of estrogen.
The risk of developing oncology is the higher the greater the doses consumed and the length of alcoholism.
Neurological and mental health decline
One of the main reasons why people start using alcohol is the instability of mental health. With the help of drinks, they seek to overcome depression, anxiety, and get rid of intrusive thoughts. The feeling of euphoria at the initial stages helps, but the addiction that develops only aggravates the situation. Alcohol directly affects the brain: it worsens the quality of sleep, which adversely affects both the physical and mental health of the patient.
There is a definite connection between alcohol and suicide. According to statistics, the risk of suicide among alcoholics is 2 times higher than in sober people.
With prolonged use and subsequent abrupt withdrawal from alcohol, white fever is possible – a severe withdrawal syndrome, manifested by delirium and hallucinations. A person in this state is dangerous to himself and others.
Factors That Influence How Long an Alcoholic Lives
Why do some people with alcohol addiction live longer than others? It’s simple – because everyone has different conditions.
The life expectancy of an alcoholic is influenced by:
- the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed. The more and more often a person drinks, the more damage they do to their health;
- genetics. Someone is able to live to 80-90 years old by drinking alcohol, while others die at the age of 40. It depends on the combination of genes that a person has inherited. Some combinations contribute to better survival even in extreme conditions when large doses of alcohol are ingested;
- current state of health. Every body has a certain resource. Therefore, for some time, the body is able to cope with the effects of constipation. But the resource decreases with time, and then diseases develop; the
- level of wealth. There are many alcoholics among different strata of the population. Richer people can afford quality medical care, which can better deal with the consequences of addiction.
The Social Consequences of Alcoholism
In addition to the direct health damage caused by frequent uncontrolled alcohol consumption, there are also indirect factors that affect life expectancy. The fact is that a person with addiction gradually loses social ties, ceases to develop as a person and professional, loses his job. His children stop communicating with him, his partner leaves him – he may be left alone with his disease.
This means that at critical moments there is a higher risk of death from alcohol poisoning or related diseases. Simply because no one will come to the rescue. Hence the simple conclusion: you need to stop in time and make an appointment for a consultation in a rehabilitation center as early as possible.
Seeking Help for Alcohol Addiction
Now you know how long alcoholics usually live. And it’s within your power to help yourself or your loved one increase their life expectancy.
If you’re wondering when you should look for a rehab center, here’s the simple answer – right now. You visited this page for a reason, people are not interested in the life expectancy of alcoholics just out of curiosity. The problem is there and it needs to be addressed. Postponing it for later means aggravating the situation.
You can get all the help you need in treating alcohol addiction at New Breath Recovery Rehab. You will find comfortable single or double apartments with everything you need, a chef who will prepare your favorite dishes, well-thought-out recreation areas and much more. But most importantly, you’ll be welcomed by our doctors and medical staff who know what you need to do to get back to a normal sober life.
Our rehab center has several specialized treatment programs:
- medical detox. Help with the withdrawal symptoms that occur in the first two weeks after giving up alcohol;
- MAT. Medication-assisted treatment with specially selected medications;
- dual diagnosis treatment. A set of techniques designed to treat addiction and mental health disorders simultaneously.
Each case of addiction is unique. Therefore, we conduct a complete examination of patients and develop an individualized treatment plan, which can be adjusted depending on the observed recovery dynamics.
Common Questions About Alcoholism and Life Expectancy
This article concludes by answering questions that are often asked by sufferers of alcoholism and their relatives.
Why do some alcoholics live to an old age while others die young?
It depends on many factors, but usually people with alcohol dependence who live to old age are said to have won the “genetic lottery”. They were simply lucky to have genes that provided better resistance to toxins and protection from the associated diseases caused by alcoholism. Had they not consumed alcohol, they would have lived even longer. For example, one study found that the chance of living to age 90 was 1.6 times higher for people who didn’t drink alcohol or drank only a few times a year, compared to people who did so more often.
What is the average life expectancy of an alcoholic?
Many alcoholics die between the ages of 35-45. Far fewer live to the age of 70-80. Therefore, we can talk about an average life expectancy of 50-60 years.
What is the most common cause of death for alcoholics?
The liver is responsible for cleansing the blood of alcohol, so in about 30-40% of cases, the cause of death of an alcoholic is due to liver disease. This can be cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis or hepatic coma. The second most popular causes are related to cardiovascular diseases, the third – to oncology.