The number of Ohioans dying from alcohol continues to increase, and the pandemic is getting much of the blame. Statistics from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) show a 22.1% increase from 2019-2020. The 2021 numbers are still preliminary, but it appears the upward trend is continuing.
Heather Cokl oversees addiction services in Clermont County for Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. She says the statistics aren’t surprising given the number-one trigger for those struggling with addiction is isolation.
“We had folks in long-term recovery that experienced relapse, as in 2020 and 2021,” she says. “Just forced isolation and the usual resources they were using for their recovery were either suspended, turned off; or some things did try to go remote.”
Number of Alcohol-Induced Deaths Among Ohioans 16 Years and Older by Sex, 2007-2021*
| Year | Female | Male | Unknown | Total |
| 2007 | 356 | 1,350 | 0 | 1,706 |
| 2008 | 435 | 1,534 | 0 | 1,969 |
| 2009 | 392 | 1,490 | 0 | 1,882 |
| 2010 | 432 | 1,560 | 0 | 1,992 |
| 2011 | 437 | 1,568 | 14 | 2,019 |
| 2012 | 462 | 1,604 | 7 | 2,073 |
| 2013 | 473 | 1,728 | 9 | 2,210 |
| 2014 | 500 | 1,861 | 4 | 2,365 |
| 2015 | 565 | 1,894 | 0 | 2,459 |
| 2016 | 687 | 2,053 | 0 | 2,740 |
| 2017 | 719 | 2,280 | 0 | 2,999 |
| 2018 | 679 | 2,103 | 0 | 2,782 |
| 2019 | 727 | 2,309 | 0 | 3,036 |
| 2020 | 899 | 2,809 | 0 | 3,708 |
| 2021* | 963 | 3,052 | 0 | 4,015 |
Source: Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics
Analysis: ODH Violence and Injury Epidemiology and Surveillance Section.
*2021 data is preliminary.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) points to increased pandemic-related stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms and disorders.
Further proof of the problem is record sales of liquor as reported by the Ohio Department of Commerce. MHAS says more alcohol in the community correlates to more alcohol consumption and related problems.
A 25% increase in alcohol-induced deaths nationally
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published national alcohol-related death research in its May 3, 2022 edition.
The research looked at studies on drinking to cope with stress, transplants for alcohol-associated liver disease and emergency department visits for alcohol withdrawal.
According to the article, “The number and rate of alcohol-related deaths increased approximately 25 percent between 2019 and 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates increased prior to the pandemic, but less rapidly (2 percent mean annual percent change between 1999 and 2017). The rate increase for alcohol-related deaths in 2020 outpaced the increase in all-cause mortality, which was 16.6 percent.”
The biggest increase was seen in ages 55-64.
The Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services’ Cokl says the solution in each community is different and all the pieces must fit together for the ultimate recovery, like having housing and transportation.
“Transportation is always at the top, housing is a huge barrier for lots of folks in Clermont County. And then our folks who are in some sort of recovery process, sometimes have criminal backgrounds and other things that might become barriers for them,” she says.
MHAS has invested $14.5 million to address alcohol use disorder in Ohio. The Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services has gotten some of that money.
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