Mitch Albom: Why is living shorter, dying sooner a new trend?

The issue of alcohol and alcoholism seems to be the theme here.  I disagree about this generation to living better than their parents.  Financially they are doing better than their parents.  (Kevin Schaal).

Not long ago, we were talking about living to 120. Remember? Science and medicine were advancing so rapidly, we figured to double the life expectancy of our grandparents. What would we do with all those extra years?

Apparently, we can stop worrying about that. At least in America. The latest statistics show life expectancy in this country will drop for the third straight year. The last time that happened was reportedly 100 years ago, when we were in the middle of World War I and the worst flu pandemic in recorded history.

It’s not that our scientists have hit a wall. It’s not that new medicines aren’t working. In fact, for the rest of what we call the “developed world,” the numbers are going up.But from sea to shining sea here in the U.S., they are dropping, largely due to what some have dubbed “the deaths of despair,” drug-related fatalities, liver cirrhosis (caused mostly by alcoholism), and suicide.America, the land of opportunity, seems to be losing hope. And the group that, by far, leads the way? Middle-aged-and-older, working-class, white men and women.

Source: Mitch Albom: Why is living shorter, dying sooner a new trend?