Look at this graph. Notice how deaths from “alcohol poisoning” correlate with murder, suicide, and all other causes.
This shows the immense secondary harm of alcohol abuse. These deaths are not just the deaths of alcoholics, but of all people. So accidents, suicide, murder, etc. all go up when deaths by alcohol poisoning go up. It’s more than just correlation because when alcohol consumption was controlled, deaths in all categories fell.
This graph come from the article Dying Bear Still Not Dead by Anatoly Karlin, well-worth reading.
