February 3, 2026

Emergency department (ED) visits for alcohol-specific diagnoses nearly doubled between 2003 and 2022, according to new data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The visit rate per 10,000 population increased by more than 70% over the same period.

The data come from the NCHS’s National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which tracked visits to non-federal, general, and short-stay hospitals from 2003 through 2022. The analysis focused exclusively on conditions caused directly by alcohol use, including alcohol dependence, liver disease, and poisoning. Indirect alcohol-related incidents such as falls or motor vehicle crashes were not included in these figures. The report stated the total burden of alcohol on EDs is likely even greater.

The goal of this analysis was to present ED visit estimates by sex from 2003 to 2004, to 2021 to 2022 for alcohol-specific diagnoses of conditions presented in the ED that were caused exclusively by alcohol use, according to the report.

The number of ED visits among males for alcohol-specific diagnoses increased by 101% from 2003 to 2004, to 2021 to 2022, climbing from 1,986,000 to 3,998,000 visits. Females experienced a nearly identical trajectory, with visits rising 96% over the same period: from 701,000 to 1,374,000.

ED visit rates for males with alcohol-specific diagnoses increased by 75%, from 71 to 124 visits per 10,000 population. Female rates increased 71%, rising from 24 to 41 visits per 10,000 population.

Throughout the 20-year study period, alcohol-specific diagnosis visit rates remained consistently higher for males than females. From 2021 to 2023, alcohol was the most common substance involved in substance-related ED visits nationwide, surpassing both opioids and cannabis.