If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol addiction, help is available by calling the Crisis Support Services of Nevada helpline at 1-800-450-9530 or texting IMREADY to 839863.
Just about every week in Las Vegas, one or two people die from crashes caused by drunk drivers. Three have already died in less than two weeks, the most recent one was Thursday.
On New Year's Eve, Las Vegas police said they arrested 50 drivers for suspicion of driving under the influence. In December, when police arrested Las Vegas Raiders player Charles Snowden, police said he was, "too drunk to stand," and he said he thought he was in Florida.
In Nevada as a whole, DUI arrests increased 29% from 2020 to 2023. And though 2024’s numbers aren’t out yet, in 2023, 33 people died from DUI-related crashes.
“People are coming here to have a good time,” said Brennan Grazioso, the Nevada program manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). “They're coming to the Strip, they're going to Fremont Street … they want to come here and they want to party, and they think there's going to be no repercussions for that. … I couldn't say that we're higher than other places … but our culture definitely fosters an environment of impaired driving.”
Since moving here from a small town in Illinois, Grazioso said she’s seen the effects of a heavy party culture firsthand.
“When I started this job, I really, truly started to realize just how much of an issue impaired driving was here,” she said. “I was driving to a meeting at 8 a.m. and I saw a field sobriety test happening on the side of the road. And I thought, ‘oh my gosh, who is drinking at 8am?’ And then I really sat back and I realized Las Vegas is a special kind of city. We have people on the roads at all times, people getting off at 6 a.m. who are going to go out and they're going to party like it was their dinner time at 5 or 6 p.m.”
Impaired driving is one of many dangerous alcohol side effects that a yearly campaign, Dry January, attempts to curb — at least for a month — whereby participants are challenged to give up booze completely for 31 days.
The other risk drinkers run, according to a new advisory by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, is an increased risk of cancer. Each year, according to the Surgeon General’s Office, alcohol contributes to around 100,000 American cancer cases yearly, and roughly 20,000 cancer fatalities.
For some cancers, like those of the mouth, breast, and throat, that risk can be present even at one drink a day or less — which is the daily recommended limit for women, and just short of the two drinks a day allowed for men.
“One serving a day [which is approximately 10 grams of alcohol] can increase risk of cancer by up to 5% to 10%,” said Dr. Westbrook Kaplan, medical director of the Desert Hope Treatment Center. “To give you a comparison, that would be nearly equivalent to smoking a half a pack of cigarettes a day.”
The reason why comes down to chemistry.
“[Alcohol is] a caustic substance the moment you take it in,” said Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean of the Touro University Nevada School of Osteopathic Medicine. “So, most cancers that, for instance, we develop, are along the path it takes from the tongue, from the back of the throat, all the way down the esophagus and into the stomach and then ultimately in the colon.”
Despite this, only around 45% of Americans are aware that alcohol contributes to cancer risk. As such, Murthy’s suggestion is a revised warning label on alcoholic beverages sold in the United States, warning consumers of the risk between drinking and cancer.
Gilliar is hopeful labels like that could discourage heavy drinking.
“If it helps to reduce the overall consumption and the abuse of it, especially the transition from what I call a moderate use to abuse, that really, to me, is the line that we should really get back to less and less.”
For those looking to reduce a reliance on alcohol for whatever reason, Dry January presents a good opportunity to trial run sobriety.
For some, this is made easier by turning to non-alcoholic beverages, like the ones Eryn Korby sells at the city’s first and only booze-free bottle shop, Sin City Saints.
She said the younger generations, like Millennials and Gen Z, are driving the nonalcoholic movement.
“They are all so much more health conscious than our generations and generations previous ever were,” she said. “And I think that drives just a huge portion of it. They're looking for wellness beverages, and we have those, because not only are there zero proof spirits that are what we call ‘analog’ that are your tequilas, your whiskeys, etc. You also have these non-analog functional spirits. Those have nootropics, adaptogens, L-theanine — things that are good for you. They're wellness beverages, and people are looking for that.”
In a state where an estimated 10% of the population (or around 300,000 people) meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder, Korby said zero proof spirits can be a viable alternative for people who still want to partake in a night out without jeopardizing their sobriety.
“You feel like you're getting that experience, that ritual of being out with your friends, being able to enjoy a social beverage in a beautiful martini glass with an awesome garnish, and you get that same experience, and that's really the appeal of zero proof cocktails.”
The social aspect is one of the reasons why it can be hard to recommend full sobriety, said Gilliar, despite the World Health Organization’s warning that there is no safe amount of alcohol.
“We are slowly moving away from saying that [alcohol is] a good addition. It is almost now in the direction of it's a socially acceptable addition,” he said. “There's a social factor with it, and we know we can be healthier when we have a nice social environment, so it helps depression and so much more. It's very hard to tease that part out.”
More Resources:
American Addiction Centers
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Nevada 211
Alcohol Awareness
Guests: Brennan Grazioso, Nevada program manager, Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean, Touro University Nevada School of Osteopathic Medicine; Dr. Westbrook Kaplan, medical director, Desert Hope Treatment Center; Eryn Korby, owner, Sin City Saints
