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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Looking for Science-Based Resources about Alcohol and Health?
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Alcohol has been very much in the news this year from discussions about the contribution of alcohol in causing cancer to mocktails to Dry January, all reflecting a changing conversation about alcohol. As a result, there is so much information about alcohol in the news and on social media that it can be hard to understand it all. NIAAA’s wealth of research-based resources can help cut through the clutter and potential confusion. These resources are free, cover many topics, and are available in multiple languages.
Rethinking Drinking is a website and companion booklet that is useful for evaluating one’s relationship with alcohol, including its impact on health. Rethinking Drinking also provides tools for calculating the amount of alcohol in beverages and tips for cutting back or stopping drinking.
The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator is a website that can help you or your loved ones navigate the often-complicated process of understanding and choosing treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). It has information about how to search for quality care in your area and a locator to find treatment programs.
“Short Takes with NIAAA” is a new video series that consists of 60-second videos that provide easy-to-understand explanations for commonly used—but often misunderstood—alcohol terms such as binge drinking, hangovers, alcohol-induced blackouts, and alcohol overdose.
NIAAA also has a vast collection of brochures, fact sheets, webpages, and the NIAAA Spectrum webzine featuring topics such as alcohol and the brain, alcohol flush reaction, binge drinking, women and alcohol, prenatal alcohol exposure, underage drinking, college drinking prevention, and many more. We also offer a webpage devoted to statistics about alcohol as well as surveillance reports, epidemiologic resources, and a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
NIAAA offers health care providers various resources to help them stay informed about the best practices to care for patients and help patients who need more specialized treatment for AUD.
The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol (HPCR) provides concise, thorough information to help health care providers provide care for patients whose alcohol use may be impacting their health. The HPCR offers free continuing education (CME/CE) credits. For patients who need specialized treatment, the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator includes a portal to assist health care providers in making treatment referrals.
“Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide” assists health care professionals in quickly identifying youth who are experiencing or are at risk for alcohol-related problems. The guide is also available in Spanish.
I invite you to explore NIAAA’s resources. We are constantly developing new ones. To stay informed about our newly released products and other NIAAA activities, you can sign up to receive email alerts from NIAAA here.
Wishing you good health in 2023.
Best wishes,
George F. Koob, Ph.D.
NIAAA Director
Need Help for an Alcohol Problem?
If you’re having an emergency, call 911. If you are having suicidal thoughts, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room or call the toll-free, 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to help you through this difficult time.
The NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator can help you recognize and find high quality treatment for alcohol use disorder. If you drink excessively, seek medical help to plan a safe recovery as sudden abstinence can be life threatening. NIAAA’s Rethinking Drinking can help you assess your drinking habits and provides information to help you cut back or stop drinking.
