Study: Drinking led to more than 4,000 recent deaths in Illinois

According to a first-ever report from the Illinois Department of Health, chronic drinking led to more than 4,000 recent deaths across the state.

The report using data collected from 2020 to 2023 found chronic alcohol use directly attributed to more than 2,300 deaths statewide.

During the four-year period, alcohol-related mortality in Illinois was predominantly driven by alcohol-attributable liver disease, which accounted for 1,466 deaths. This was followed by Alcohol Dependency Syndrome (566), excessive alcohol use (205 deaths), and alcohol psychosis with 82 deaths. 

Another 2,000 deaths were indirectly tied to alcohol use, including hypertension, heart disease and liver cancer.

While the data detailed the obvious medical risks to a person, alcohol was also a sizable contributor to behavior that brought harm to themselves and to others.

In 2022, Illinois saw 1,268 crash fatalities. Roughly 551 of victims were killed by drivers with alcohol in their system. 

Between 2020 and 2023, Illinois saw an estimated 424 homicides directly attributable to acute alcohol use. Suicide was the second most prevalent, with 338 deaths, followed by fall injuries (232), alcohol poisonings (184), drownings (72), and fire injuries with 55 fatalities.

The data underscores the substantial impact of alcohol on both unintentional injuries and intentional acts. The patterns point to the urgent need for alcohol-focused violence prevention strategies.

The full report on the Illinois Department of Public Health website can be found here .


(AP Photo David J. Phillip)