Alcohol related deaths in MN still on the upswing

New preliminary data show that nearly a thousand Minnesotans died from alcohol use last year.
The preliminary data suggest that factors related to the pandemic may have boosted a decades-long trend of increasing numbers of alcohol-attributable deaths in Minnesota. The number of fully alcohol-attributable deaths increased by one-third between 2000 and 2010, and more than doubled between 2010 and 2020.
This includes both chronic causes, such as alcohol-related liver disease, and acute causes, such as alcohol poisoning. In 2020, 992 Minnesotans died from fully alcohol-attributable causes.
Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm says “Sadly, the pandemic has amplified some of the root causes of substance use and substance use disorders, such as social isolation, job loss and lack of access to treatment.”

The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, nonfederal panel of prevention experts, has made a series of recommendations to help curb excessive drinking.
– Increase the price of alcohol.
– Regulate the number and concentration in communities of places that sell alcohol.
– Consistent enforcement of laws prohibiting alcohol sales to minors.
– Electronic screening and brief intervention to reduce excessive alcohol use. These screening and brief intervention programs can be integrated into clinic and emergency department services, at workplaces or in other community settings, using mobile devices or computers.