The Millennial Culture of Bing Drink and high alcohol choices has created a disturbing increase in not just impaired wellness but liver related death.

When it comes to liver health, it’s pretty well-established that drinking alcohol is not good for you. So why are so many millennials suffering from alcohol-related liver disease? That’s the question posed by a recent study which has found that liver disease is on the rise among young people across the county.

Conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, the study analyzed death certificate data collected between 1999 and 2016 from the Vital Statistics

Cooperative data from the Census Bureau collected as part of the Centers for Disease Control found that annual deaths from cirrhosis, or liver scarring, in the United States increased 65 percent during that time period. Among those deaths, 765 were among young people between ages 25 and 34.

That means there was a 10.5 percent annual increase in cirrhosis-related deaths among millennials. The vast majority of these deaths, the study found, were precipitated by alcohol. In fact, study authors said they began the study because they noticed an increase in the number of young patients dying of cirrhosis of the liver.

“The only way to do that in your 20s is with incredible alcohol abuse,” said lead study author Dr. Elliot B. Tapper, an assistant professor of gastroenterology at the University of Michigan. “In order to die of alcoholic cirrhosis, you have to drink an amount of alcohol that is so far beyond what you would call risky drinking…. This is not someone who accidentally had three drinks a night when they should have had less.”

Although the study did not examine why so many more millennials are dying of liver disease related complications. There are some theories that link specific drinking behaviors as the potential causality.

1, One is that the type of alcohol young people are drinking—for instance, craft beers and India Pale Ales that all have a higher alcohol content than other forms that have been abused in the past.

2, A growing binge-drinking culture among millennials may also play a role, rendering many young people unaware that they might have a problem.

A culture of alcohol used as forms of socialization and entertainment (drinking games) Millennials are completely unaware of the excessiveness of their behavior. As it has become an integral part of their lifestyle that is collectively practice by the majority of their peer group they are completely oblivious to its great harm.

Researchers also noted that the increase in cirrhosis appeared after the 2008 recession, which could suggest that career stress could be a factor.

Symptoms of cirrhosis include fatigue, bruising, bleeding easily, itchy skin, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, swelling in the legs or abdomen, weight loss, spider veins and redness in the palms of the hands.

Complicating matters is the fact that not only are these symptoms relatively vague but also doctors say many young people who present with symptoms are not honest about their drinking, which can delay diagnosis. While the disease is not reversible, lifestyle changes can help stop or reduce further damage.

The greater concern as with any lifestyle induced behavior the trend will manifest a steady increase in liver related deaths. The key to reversing this trend is increased awareness of the situation, education to it long-term health impact.

The critical factor is stopping the behavior before any more permanent damage can occur to cumulatively produce a national health crisis that is easily prevented just by controlling or modifying an individual’s behavior.