Alcohol-related deaths have surged in the US by nearly 30%
During the Covid pandemic, there were an average of about 488 deaths per day related to excessive alcohol use.
Roughly 500 Americans die each day from excessive drinking.
Alcohol-related deaths have surged in the United States by nearly 30 percent in recent years, with roughly 500 Americans dying each day from excessive drinking. During the Covid pandemic, there were an average of about 488 deaths per day related to excessive alcohol use.
Alcohol-related deaths surged in the United States by nearly 30 percent in recent years, with roughly 500 Americans dying each day in 2021
The incidence of alcohol-related deaths was higher in men, but among women the death rate shot up at a quicker pace
Researchers found that deaths linked to alcohol in the United States increased by 40,000 over five years
Accuracy
During that period (2016-2021), the deaths rose by 27 percent among men and 35 percent among women
Deception
(80%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title claims that alcohol-related deaths surged to nearly 500 a day which is not entirely accurate as it only mentions the increase from previous years but does not provide context for what those numbers were before they increased. Secondly, the author quotes Dr. Michael Siegel stating that there has been a substantial increase in alcohol-related deaths over the last six years without providing any evidence to support this claim or disclosing his affiliation with Tufts University School of Medicine which could be seen as biased information.
Dr. Michael Siegel is quoted stating that there has been a substantial increase in alcohol-related deaths over the last six years without providing any evidence to support this claim or disclosing his affiliation with Tufts University School of Medicine which could be seen as biased information.
The title claims that alcohol-related deaths surged to nearly 500 a day, but it does not provide context for what those numbers were before they increased.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by citing Dr. Michael Siegel as a source for their opinion on the study's results without providing any context or qualification of his expertise in this specific area. Secondly, there is inflammatory rhetoric used when describing the spike in alcohol-related deaths as
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'spikes of fatalities linked to drinking that began with the Covid pandemic' which implies a connection between religion and alcohol consumption.
> Spikes of fatalities linked to drinking that began with the Covid pandemic were not an anomaly.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The authors of the article have a conflict of interest on the topic of alcohol-related deaths as they are reporting for The New York Times which has financial ties to companies in the alcohol industry.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the surge in alcohol-related deaths and provides information on drinking habits. The authors have a conflict of interest with Dr. Michael Siegel as they are both affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine.
During the height of the pandemic from 2020 to 2021, there were about 488 deaths per day from excessive drinking in the US.
The prevalence of binge drinking among adults aged 35-50 years is higher in the COVID era than any other year during the previous decade.
Alcohol-related deaths have historically been higher among men than women, but recent trends suggest a narrowing of this gap.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that deaths from drinking surged during the pandemic when in fact it was a surge over five years. Secondly, the author states that 'the increased availability of alcohol carryout and home deliveries may been a factor' but does not provide any evidence to support this claim. Thirdly, while there is no direct deception in the article, it presents information out of context which can be misleading.
The title implies that deaths from drinking surged during the pandemic when in fact it was a surge over five years.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when they cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as their source of information. They also use a dichotomous depiction by stating that deaths from excessive drinking during the pandemic were part of a surge in alcohol-related fatalities seen over five years, without providing any context or explanation for this claim. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when they describe the increased availability of alcohol carryout and home deliveries as a factor in the rise in deaths linked to excessive drinking. They also use an informal fallacy by stating that shifting behaviors and attitudes in the COVID era likely exacerbated the problem, without providing any evidence or data to support this claim.
The article cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as its source of information. This is an appeal to authority fallacy.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses the phrase 'alcohol-related fatalities' which implies that alcohol is inherently dangerous and harmful to society.
> There were about 488 deaths per day from excessive drinking in the U.S. during the height of the pandemic from 2020 to 2021, part of a surge in alcohol-related fatalities seen over five years.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Adriel Bettelheim has a conflict of interest on the topic of excessive drinking and alcohol-related fatalities as she is an author for Axios. The article discusses the CDC report which was released in 2024 and also mentions Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, but there is no disclosure about any financial ties or personal relationships with these organizations.
Adriel Bettelheim is an author for Axios.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of excessive drinking and alcohol-related fatalities as they are affiliated with both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. The article also discusses stress and isolation during the pandemic, which could be related to their work at CDC.
The author is a researcher at both CDC and Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.
During 2016-2017 there were 137,927 alcohol-related deaths. For 2020-2021, there were 178,307.
Drinking excessively can lead to deaths directly related to alcohol such as alcoholic liver disease and suicide by excessive use of the substance.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(90%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that excessive alcohol consumption was responsible for all of these deaths during the pandemic when it only accounts for a portion of them. Secondly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that this spike in deaths related to excessive alcohol use is not what people want to hear which could be interpreted as trying to manipulate readers' emotions rather than presenting facts objectively. Thirdly, while dry January and damp lifestyles have taken off on TikTok, the article does not mention anything about these trends or how they relate to the spike in deaths related to excessive alcohol use during the pandemic.
The author uses sensationalism by stating that this spike in deaths related to excessive alcohol use is not what people want to hear.
The title implies that all of these deaths were caused by excessive alcohol consumption which is not entirely accurate.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a source of information. However, this does not necessarily mean that the CDC's findings are accurate or reliable. Additionally, the author presents statistics without providing context or explaining how they were obtained, which can make it difficult to understand their significance. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that
The increase in deaths related to excessive alcohol seemed to hit all ages,
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that during the pandemic in 2020-21 there were an average of about 488 deaths per day from excessive alcohol drinking. This is a significant increase compared to previous years and can be considered highly biased.
]Not necessarily what people want to hear[
The authors suggest states should consider creating policies that will limit people's access to alcohol and increase its price
The increase in deaths related to excessive alcohol seemed to hit all ages, and although there were more alcohol-related deaths among men, the increase was larger for women. For women, excessive alcohol use-related deaths increased about 35% during from 2016-17 to 2020-21[
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jen Christensen has a conflict of interest on the topic of excessive alcohol drinking as she is reporting for CNN which has financial ties to companies in the alcohol industry.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jen Christensen has a conflict of interest on the topic of excessive alcohol drinking as she is reporting for CNN which has a financial stake in the alcohol industry.
Deaths from causes fully attributable to alcohol use have increased during the past 2 decades in the United States, particularly from 2019 to 2020.
,
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it presents a false sense of urgency by stating that deaths from causes fully attributable to alcohol use have increased during the past 2 decades. However, this statement is misleading because it does not provide context for these increases. The actual increase in deaths from excessive alcohol use was only about 15% over the same time period.
The article states that 'U.S. deaths from causes fully attributable to excessive alcohol use increased during the past 2 decades.' However, this statement is misleading because it does not provide context for these increases.
The article also states that 'deaths from excessive drinking among males increased approximately 27%, and among females increased approximately 35%' which implies a significant increase in deaths. However, this is not supported by the data provided in the article.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that evidence-based alcohol policies could help reverse increasing alcohol-attributable death rates without providing any evidence for this claim. Secondly, the author commits a hasty generalization by assuming that deaths from causes fully attributable to excessive alcohol use have increased during the past 2 decades in the United States, particularly from 2019 to 2020, concurrent with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic without providing any evidence for this claim. Thirdly, the author uses a false dilemma by stating that only two options exist: either reduce the number and concentration of places selling alcohol or increase alcohol taxes.
The article commits an appeal to authority fallacy when it states that evidence-based alcohol policies could help reverse increasing alcohol-attributable death rates without providing any evidence for this claim.
The author uses a hasty generalization fallacy by assuming that deaths from causes fully attributable to excessive alcohol use have increased during the past 2 decades in the United States, particularly from 2019 to 2020, concurrent with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic without providing any evidence for this claim.
The article uses a false dilemma fallacy when it states that only two options exist: either reduce the number and concentration of places selling alcohol or increase alcohol taxes.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that suggests the author is biased towards evidence-based alcohol policies. The sentence 'Evidence-based alcohol policies (e.g., reducing the number and concentration of places selling alcohol and increasing alcohol taxes) could help reverse increasing alcohol-attributable death rates.
alcohol policies
Evidence-based
increasing
reducing the number and concentration of places selling
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses deaths from excessive alcohol use in the United States and provides information on CDC's Alcohol-Related Disease Impact application. The authors of the study are Marissa B. Esser, PhD, Adam Sherk, PhD, Yong Liu, MD and Timothy S. Naimi, MD.
The article discusses deaths from excessive alcohol use in the United States
The authors of the study are Marissa B. Esser, PhD and Adam Sherk,
