 Alcohol is poisonous, and the World Health Organization says death by alcohol and other substances isn't just an American problem. Federal health officials say 108,000 people died of drug-related overdoses in this country in 2022, but alcohol is the larger problem worldwide. The World Health Organization has found that nearly 5% of all deaths can be traced to alcohol consumption. The same report found more than 400 million people around the world living with drug or alcohol dependence.