Researchers working in Germany have confirmed the association between alcoholism and premature death. The Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at University Medicine Greifswald study found that death rates were 4.6 times higher in alcohol-dependent women, and 1.9 times higher in men with alcohol dependence than the general population. Published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, the research looked at 4000 men and women over a 14 year period. The average reduction in life expectancy for both genders was 20 years; this was more than the life reduction expected due to smoking related illnesses.

Read the entire article here: Study: Alcoholism Shortens Life More Than Smoking