PHOM Indicator Profile Report of Alcohol Consumption - Heavy Drinking

Why Is This Important?

Heavy drinking is a type of excessive alcohol use. It exceeds the Dietary Guidelines for Americans definition of moderate drinking which is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

Most heavy drinkers are also binge drinkers.

According to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use is responsible for 140,557 deaths in the United States each year, including 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years.¹ Estimates also suggest that 903 Utahns die from alcohol-attributable causes each year and Utah is ranked seventh in the nation for alcohol poisoning deaths.²

Excessive alcohol use is also associated with many health and social harms, including liver cirrhosis, certain cancers, unintentional injuries, violence, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Excessive drinking cost the United States $249 billion in 2010.³ In 2014, the cost of excessive alcohol use in Utah was estimated to be $1.2 billion.⁴

---

1. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2014, Contribution of excessive alcohol consumption to deaths and years of potential life lost in the United States
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) application, 2021. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/ARDI
3. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 2010, National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption
4. Utah Department of Public Safety, Alcohol Abuse Tracking Committee, 2016 Report

Data Notes

The calculated variable for heavy drinking uses the definition "more than 14 drinks for men" and "more than 7 drinks for women". See Data Interpretation Issues for further information.  
These rates are crude rates, not age-adjusted, given that the Healthy People 2020 Objective is based on crude rates.

Risk Factors

People experiencing poor mental health are more likely to drink excessively.

How Are We Doing?

Using data from both landline and cell phones in 2022, it was estimated that 5.0% (crude rate) of Utah adults reported heavy drinking in the 30 days before the survey.

What Is Being Done?

The Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is the agency responsible for ensuring that substance abuse and mental health prevention and treatment services are available statewide. The Division also acts as a resource by providing general information, research, and statistics to the public regarding substances of abuse and mental health services.