National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

The first 6 weeks of freshman year are a vulnerable time for harmful and underage college drinking and alcohol-related consequences because of student expectations and social pressures at the start of the academic year. Research shows that students who abstain from drinking often do so because their parents discussed alcohol use and its adverse consequences with them.

Prevalence of Underage Alcohol Use, People Ages 12 to 20 Prevalence of Lifetime Drinking According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 13.2 million people ages 12 to 20 (34.2% in this age group) reported that they have had at least one drink in their lives. 1,2 This includes: 6.5 million males ages 12 to 20...

Researchers have identified a genetic factor that may predispose young people to harmful drinking habits. A team of scientists interviewed college students about their alcohol consumption and then analyzed their genetic profiles, or genotypes. They found that students who shared a particular variant of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT) consumed more alcohol per occasion, more often drank expressly to become...

Fri, 07/26/2013 - 12:00

Fri, 07/26/2013 - 12:00

New research supported by NIAAA suggests that a drug currently used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs could someday help lessen the alcohol cravings that often lead to relapse among people with drinking problems. Alcohol-related memories, or cues—such as the smell of alcohol—can trigger cue-induced alcohol craving. Previous research has found that the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1...

November 22, 2013

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) will be hosting a Twitter Chat, “Alcohol & the Holidays: What You Need to Know.” The chat will cover tips for celebrating the season safely if you choose to drink, vital stats about drunk driving, and evidence-based advice for those thinking about reducing their drinking in the New Year. The chat...

Supporting research to better understand and address alcohol-related health disparities and improve the health of underserved populations is one of the highest priorities of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

In the United States, and throughout the world, men drink more alcohol than women. But a recent analysis by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, indicates that longstanding differences between men and women in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms might be narrowing in the United States. Researchers led...

Sat, 02/20/2016 - 12:00

Sat, 02/20/2016 - 12:00

Adults drank more alcohol in 2012–2013 than they did in 2001–2002, according to the most recent National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). NESARC–III is a cross-sectional survey sponsored, designed, and directed by NIAAA and is the largest study ever conducted on the co-occurrence of alcohol use, drug use, and related psychiatric conditions. To assess how drinking patterns...

Wed, 06/29/2016 - 12:00

Wed, 06/29/2016 - 12:00

Above: Dr. Bin Gao, Chief of the Laboratory of Liver Diseases in the Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research (DICBR) , NIAAA. (Credit: NIH IRP) The following is an excerpt from a web page feature from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program (IRP): While many people may enjoy an occasional alcoholic beverage, excessive alcohol consumption causes...

An online alcohol prevention course can help reduce harmful drinking among college freshmen, but the benefits in the fall don’t last through the spring, according to a study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Led by Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Pacific Institute for Research...

June 1, 2022

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 14, Issue 2. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health , more than half of Americans ages 18 and older reported drinking alcohol in the past month, and about a quarter of this same group reported past-month binge drinking. To help adults who drink alcohol to better...

Carrying a gene variant that affects the release of a specific brain protein may put one at greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder, according to the results of a recent animal study. The study was led by Professor Dorit Ron, PhD, Endowed Chair of Cell Biology of Addiction, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, and was...

Wed, 05/08/2024 - 12:00

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 16, Issue 2 . Underage drinking and alcohol misuse by young adults are serious public health concerns in the United States. The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 15.1% of people ages 12 to 20 and 50.2% of people ages 18 to 25 reported drinking alcohol...

Based on just two questions from a newly released guide, health care professionals could spot children and teenagers at risk for alcohol-related problems. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner’s Guide is now available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Developed in collaboration with the American Academy...

Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of beer, wine, or malt liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. For example, many light beers have almost as much...

Alcohol-related deaths among U.S. college students rose from 1,440 deaths in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, along with increases in heavy drinking and drunk driving, according to an article in the July supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The special issue describes the results of a broad array of research-based programs to reduce and prevent alcohol-related...

The consequences of college drinking are larger and more destructive than commonly realized, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Commissioned by the NIAAA Task Force on College Drinking, the study reveals that drinking by college students age 18-24 contributes to an estimated 1,400 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, and 70,000 cases...

Mon, 06/14/2010 - 12:00

Mon, 06/14/2010 - 12:00

It is no surprise that some college-age men and women drink heavily, and can be victims of dating violence as a result. But a recent study by Cynthia Stappenbeck and Kim Fromme at the University of Texas at Austin demonstrates that these behaviors can affect men and women in different ways. The researchers recruited 2,247 incoming freshmen to complete Internet-based...

April 23-24, 1998 • Ramada Inn • Bethesda, Maryland Co-Sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Office of Research on Women’s Health , National Institutes of Health , and the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Contents Speakers Agenda Introduction Background Overview of FAS Early Studies on Prevention of Alcohol Use in Pregnancy: Lessons...

The holidays are a time for celebration and alcohol is often present at festive gatherings. Despite all good plans, people may consume alcohol more than they intended.