California IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Alcohol Death Toll Put at 13,400 Yearly

Alcohol kills more than 13,400 people a year in California, the fourth-leading cause of death in the state, and men are twice as likely to die from alcohol as women, according to a new state report. The study by state health officials indicated that alcohol-related deaths are climbing after a period of apparent decline. According to the report, the alcohol death rate for Californians 15 and older was 13.46 per 100,000 population in 1979. That figure dropped to a record low of 10.16 per 100,000 in 1985, then climbed back to 11.24 per 100,000 in 1988. The figures include deaths attributable to alcohol--such as alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver--and alcohol-related illnesses or incidents such as vehicle accidents, suicides and homicides.