In US, six people die daily from alcohol poisoning

An average of six people die from alcohol poisoning every day in the United States, according to a US government report out Tuesday.

Most of the 2,200 people who die from excess drinking each year are middle-aged white men, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, as a proportion of the population, American Indians and Alaskan natives have the most alcohol poisoning deaths per million people.

Alaska has the nation's highest alcohol poisoning death rate, coming in at 46.5 deaths per million residents each year.

"Alcohol poisoning deaths are caused by drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time," said the CDC Vital Signs report.

"This can result in very high levels of alcohol in the body, which can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature—resulting in death."

Over 38 million American adults say they binge drink on the weekends, consuming an average of eight drinks per bender.

CDC principal deputy director Ileana Arias called for "effective programs and policies to prevent binge drinking and the many health and social harms that are related to it, including deaths from alcohol poisoning."

© 2015 AFP