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nfographic titled, "Despite the opioid crisis, alcohol remains the deadliest drug." It compares U.S. deaths in 2024 by underlying cause, showing 178,000 alcohol-related deaths versus 54,000 opioid-related deaths. Alcohol deaths include heart disease and stroke, alcohol liver disease, cancer, alcohol poisonings, motor vehicle crashes, and other chronic and acute causes. Most opioid deaths are attributed to other synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl.
Image of a line chart it shows that from 1987 to 2024 the amount of money that employers and employees spent on employer sponsored health insurance premiums increased almost 1000%. This is compared to an increase of 176%, which would be the 2024 equivalent of the 1987 spending total.
In the first 206 days of the federal fiscal year, which runs from Oct 1 to Jun 18, on average from 2017 through 2025 the NIAAA usually spent about $178 million on grants related to alcohol addition. So far in 2026 they've spent about $146 million. At the same point last year, they had spent about $90 million dollars. This shows that spending on research is lower than it historically had been.
How Kyle Diamantas defied expectations as he rose to lead the FDA
“Don’t interfere in the agency’s processes. Or, If you’re going to do that. do it publicly. Do it transparently. Do it in full view.”
"The next commissioner has to assure the agency makes sound clinical decisions, and they can withstand scrutiny ... and the FDA commissioner has to be willing to put her or his body on the line to allow the agency to do that work."
two men sit on the summit stage
an empty stage
Alcohol kills more Americans each year than all other drugs combined. Why does the U.S. ignore its most harmful substance use crisis?
Featured Session: Anne Wojcocki Won't Give Up
Total U.S. deaths in 2024 by underlying cause. 39k opioid-related. 178k alcohol related.
We need more men in nursing
My patient would rather take a peptide than a statin. That reveals an uncomfortable truth in medicine The more evidence behind a therapy, the less the public trusts it
How a Texas couple is getting rich off out-of-network medical bills