Alcohol-Related Problems Common, Yet Alcohol Use Disorder Undertreated

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 14.5 million (nearly 15 million) people ages 12 and older met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for past-year alcohol use disorder (AUD). Clearly, the scope of alcohol problems in the U.S. population is large. However, NSDUH data indicate that less than … Read more

New NIAAA Resource Helps Healthcare Professionals Provide Better Alcohol-Related Care

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has released The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol (HPCR) to help healthcare professionals provide evidence-based care for people who drink alcohol. Created with busy clinicians in mind, the HPCR provides concise, thorough information designed to help them integrate alcohol care into their practice. Healthcare professionals can earn … Read more

NESARC-III genetic data now available to researchers

The NIAAA announces the release of genetic data collected from individuals who participated in NIAAA’s National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), the largest study ever conducted on alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD), and its co-occurrence with drug use, substance use disorders (SUD), and related psychiatric conditions. The NESARC-III is a … Read more

NIAAA celebrates 50 years of advancing alcohol research with scientific symposium

This December marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Over the past five decades, NIAAA-funded researchers have made tremendous progress in advancing the understanding of how alcohol impacts health. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., comments, “While we have much more work to do, today … Read more

Study Identifies Genetic Variant that May Contribute to Alcohol and Drug Addiction

People with a genetic variant of a neurotransmitter gene may have an increased risk of addiction to alcohol and other substances later in life if they were exposed to childhood stress, such as divorce or emotionally distant parents, and other adverse experiences, according to recent research. The study led by researchers at the University of … Read more

New preclinical study points to potential role of human gene in addiction

A new study led by researchers at the National Institute and Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), identifies regions of the rat genome that are associated with a behavior that is highly predictive of addiction onset and progression. The region in the rat genome with the strongest association … Read more