Here’s a toast to the city that never sleeps and to New Yorkers, who are living longer than before. But wait! Maybe you should fill that glass with sparkling cider instead of wine…
According to a study released this week by New York City’s Department of Health (reported via DNA Info Beta: Manhattan Local News), although New Yorkers are living an average of 5 months longer than in previous years, (Women born in 2007 can expect to live to 82; men to 76.3) the city seems to have a drinking problem. Is it any wonder, with the smorgasbord of open-all-night bars and clubs? Dancing and having fun extend your life, but then there’s the drinking and drugging that go along with all that fun. Hmmm.
The good news? Deaths from heart disease and cancer are dropping.
The bad news? Drug overdoses and alcohol-related diseases, such as liver disease, as well as violence and unintentional injuries, were still among the leading causes of premature deaths for New Yorkers, according to the report.
The Bloomberg administration took some credit for the lowering of heart disease, citing the city’s ban on smoking and transfats. But what are they going to do about the little drinking problem? Close the bars? Raise the price of alcohol or even–gulp–restore Prohibition. Yikes!
