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According to the latest federal report, the alcohol related death has been increased to 37% from 2002. The staggering spike in the numbers suggest that there have been more people dying because of alcohol than drugs like heroin. These numbers are high without including the deaths caused due to drunk driving. The figures are only related to deaths caused due to alcohol poisoning or liver damage. The danger of binge-drinking becomes all the more imminent during holiday season, reports Fox32 Chicago News.

As per CDC, more deaths have been caused due to high alcohol consumption last year as compared to heroin overdose and prescription painkillers put together. The latest surveys from The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post show that the Americans are drinking a lot. "I'm not sure there is a disease out there that has killed and can kill as many people as alcohol related deaths," said Ramsen Kasha.

According to Philip J. Cook, a Duke University professor who studies patterns of alcohol consumption and its effects. He noted that per capita consumption has been on the rise since 1990s. "Since the prevalence of heavy drinking tends to follow closely with per capita consumption, it is likely that one explanation for the growth in alcohol-related deaths is that more people are drinking more," he wrote in an email.

The increased number of Americans who drink at least monthly has noticed a small but significant rise between 2002 and 2014. According to the data obtained from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it increased from 54.9% to 56.9%. This change has been especially higher in women. The percentage of women rose from 47.9% in 2002 to 51.9% in 2014. Once you adjust for age, the increase in alcohol-deaths "could plausibly be accounted for by the growth in per capita consumption," Cook added, reports Journal Gazette.