Coroner: Amy Winehouse Drank Herself to Death

Amy Winehouse's blood alcohol level was more than 4 times the legal limit at the time of her death ... this according to the coroner who says the singer died as a direct result of over-consumption.

Coroner Suzanne Greenaway described the situation as, "Death by misadventure" ... noting that Winehouse voluntarily pounded an extraordinary amount of liquor in the hours before she died on July 23.

Winehouse -- who battled substance abuse issues for years -- was 27 years old at the time of her death.

Amy's family released a statement ... saying, "It is some relief to finally find out what happened to Amy. We understand there was alcohol in her system when she passed away, it is likely a build up of alcohol in her system over a number of days."

The statement continues, "The court heard that Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time. She had started drinking again that week after a period of abstinence."

"It underlines how important our work with the Amy Winehouse Foundation is to us, to help as many young people and children as we can in her name."

"It means a lot to us and from the overwhelming messages of support we have had since Amy died, we know she meant a great deal to people all over the world. We want to thank everyone for that and for their continuing enthusiasm for the Foundation."