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Reports of alcohol abuse have risen on Tulane University’s campus, a trend also evident at colleges nationwide, and one that health officials say the many stresses of the pandemic made worse.
Tulane Emergency Medical Services reported receiving 29% more calls for alcohol abuse during the 2020-2021 school year than the previous year and 17% more calls during 2021-2022 than the previous year. Total calls to the service have also increased each of those years.
Those shifts mirrored national trends; in 2020, according to the New York Times, 25% more Americans died from alcohol abuse related causes, such as liver failure, compared to the previous year. More Americans under the age of 65 died from alcohol abuse in 2020 than from COVID-19.