CDC: Alcohol poisoning kills 6 a day, mostly middle-aged men

By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press

Posted January 7, 2015 7:57 am

1 min read

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NEW YORK – To the surprise of even health officials, it turns out that most deaths from drinking too much involve middle-aged adults — not teens or college kids.

A report Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found six Americans die each day from alcohol poisoning. CDC officials said three-quarters of those deaths are adults ages 35 to 64, and most are men. CDC officials said they thought more would be younger.

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The CDC searched death records from 2010 through 2012. Researchers focused on people who died after a single episode of binge drinking. Too much alcohol can shut down areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate and temperature.