The two deadliest drugs in America are both legal. Tobacco kills more than 500,000 Americans a year. Alcohol is linked to 88,000 deaths a year (including those caused by drunk driving and violent behavior) and more than 4.6 million emergency room visits.
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■ An Australian groom showed up so drunk for his wedding that a minister refused to perform the ceremony and his furious fiancee broke up with him. When Jacob Brookes, 41, allegedly stumbled into the church still drunk from his bachelor party, the reverend tried to walk out—prompting a scuffle that led to Brookes’s arrest. Brookes denied being intoxicated. “I […]
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Breathalyzers could be used to curb alcohol abuse among scientists at US bases in Antarctica following “unpredictable behavior” caused by excess drinking, including fights and indecent exposure. Officials from the National Science Foundation told an audit of healthy and safety at the two US-run bases — McMurdo Station and the South Pole — that drinking has led to “unpredictable behavior […]
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A new World Health Organization report shows that 3.3 million people die each year from alcohol use. Here’s a look at annual alcohol intake around the world in liters per person over age 14:
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“Being American is bad for your health,” said Robert Samuelson. That’s the sobering conclusion of an exhaustive new report comparing our health with that of people in 16 other advanced countries. We rank at or near the bottom, from life expectancy at birth to frequency of death before age 50, and it’s only partly the fault of our health-care system. […]
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Americans drink far less today than our predecessors did. In 1830, the average American drank the equivalent of 7.1 gallons of pure alcohol per year. In 2013, by comparison, the average American drank the equivalent of 2.34 gallons of pure alcohol.
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