NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Volunteer Behavioral Health Clinical Director Beth Walser joins Nickelle Smith in the News 2 studio to discuss the effects of alcohol abuse. 

Walser says amid the COVID-19 pandemic Volunteer Behavior Health saw some staggering statistics when it came to alcohol abuse. 

“One stat says that households with children saw an increase of alcohol consumption of nearly 60% following the start of the pandemic,” said Walser, “another stat says that within the start of the pandemic excessive drinking increased by 38%.” 

Walser says an estimated 95,000 people die every year from alcohol content, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. 

“Long-term risks can come with excessive alcohol consumption like hypertension, heart disease, some cancers, and alcohol dependency just to name a few,” said Walser.

For more resources on alcohol addiction click here.

To learn more about Alcohol Awareness Month watch the entire interview above.