https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/health/death-rates-rising-for-middle-aged-white-americans-study-finds.html?_r=0

Unlike every other age group, unlike every other racial and ethnic group, unlike their counterparts in other rich countries, death rates in this group have been rising, not falling.

“It is difficult to find modern settings with survival losses of this magnitude.”

“Wow,” said Samuel Preston, a professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on mortality trends and the health of populations, who was not involved in the research. “This is a vivid indication that something is awry in these American households.”

Dr. Deaton had but one parallel. “Only H.I.V./AIDS in contemporary times has done anything like this,” he said.

Here are some nice graphs that explain why:

https://imgur.com/a/JpQS4

suicide, alcohol and drug poisoning, chronic liver disease

We all know that 80% of suicides are men. Well, "76% of those who die from alcohol poisoning are men."

https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/alcohol-poisoning-deaths/

and

Published in the journal Addiction, the study by the Pan American Health Organization shows that, in 16 North and Latin American countries, male victims make up 84 percent of the national average of 79,456 alcohol-related deaths. Liver disease appears to be the primary killer in most countries.

and here are some nice graphs comparing overdose deaths of men vs. women

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/cdcwonder2016_4.jpg

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/cdcwonder2016_1.jpg

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/cdcwonder2016_2.jpg

https://d14rmgtrwzf5a.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/cdcwonder2016_3.jpg