Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is recognizing Alcohol Awareness Month during April by encouraging people to have conversations about the harms excessive alcohol drinking causes to the health of communities – and that there’s never a wrong time to talk about the risks.
“Alcohol Awareness Month is a chance to seriously consider the role of alcohol in in our lives, and the toll it takes on our health and our communities,” said Tom Jeanne, M.D., M.P.H., deputy state health officer and epidemiologist at OHA. “We aren’t telling people to stop drinking. We’re saying that we need a new way to think about alcohol, and that’s it’s OK to talk about the risks to our health and for our communities.”
Jeanne said many people cross the line into drinking too much, partly because society makes it easy. “Alcohol has crept into so many settings of our daily lives, whether that’s at a work celebration, the local laundromat, or even a child’s birthday party,” he said. “Alcohol Awareness Month invites us all to reflect on the role of alcohol on our lives.”
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show deaths from excessive drinking are on the rise. In February 2024, the CDC released a report that showed the average annual number of deaths in the U.S. from excessive alcohol use increased about 29% from 137,927 during 2016–2017 to 178,307 during 2020–2021.
The share of Oregon adults who drink excessively is larger than people may realize – more than 1 in 5. Most people in this group do not have an alcohol use disorder. However, by drinking excessively, people increase their odds of developing an alcohol use disorder later in life.
OHA uses the CDC definition of excessive alcohol use, which includes both heavy drinking and binge drinking:
- Heavy drinking, which can lead to chronic diseases and other problems over time, is eight or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more drinks per week for men.
- Binge drinking is consuming four or more drinks on one occasion for women or five or more drinks on one occasion for men.
Binge drinking among Oregon youth has decreased by 50% over the past few decades, according to Oregon Healthy Teens survey data. While youth in Oregon are binge drinking less, binge and heavy drinking among adults remains high: nearly 1 in 5 Oregon adults report binge or heavy drinking in the past month, data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey show.
Overall, excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon.
“Alcohol Awareness Month reminds us all to consider hitting the pause button on drinking and learn about the harms it can cause,” Jeanne said. He added that OHA, local public health authorities and community partners are working together to build long-term, community-oriented solutions to excessive alcohol use.
The following are tips for those considering drinking less or trying to support those around them who want to drink less:
- Track your drinking using a mobile app.
- Count your drinks.
- Make small shifts to drink less, like eating while you’re drinking or avoiding people, places or activities where you are tempted to drink more than you might normally.
- Talk with your doctor about alcohol use and ways you can improve your health.
- If you’re hosting gatherings this spring/summer, include a couple of non-alcoholic beverage options to support people who don’t want to drink, or who want to drink less.
- Avoid asking people why they aren’t drinking, or pressuring them to drink more.
- Check out rethinkthedrink.com for more resources.
Note: If you or someone you care about is suffering from alcohol dependence or an alcohol use disorder, free confidential resources and support are available online or by calling or 1-800-923-4357.
