National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - Thursday, February 9, 2012

The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) convened for its 129th meeting at 5:00 p.m. on February 8, 2012, at the Fishers Lane Conference Center in Rockville, Maryland, in closed session for a review of grant applications, Merit Award nominations, and a Merit Award extension. The meeting recessed at 6:40 p.m. The Council reconvened in closed session...

What is the definition of recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)? Recovery from AUD Recovery is a process through which an individual pursues both remission from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cessation from heavy drinking 1 . An individual may be considered “recovered” if both remission from AUD and cessation from heavy drinking are achieved and maintained over time. For...

With a brief intervention, you can help patients who drink too much to cut back or quit alcohol use as needed.

Summer is a wonderful time of year. The weather is great and school is out, so people take vacations and weekend road trips to the beach or lake, and spend time outdoors socializing with family and friends. However, along with summer comes more complications from drinking.

Alcohol screening and brief intervention ranks highly among effective preventive services based on its cost-effectiveness and potential to reduce clinically preventable burden. Screening for heavy drinking can be done easily and effectively if you make it a routine part of care and use a brief tool recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that identifies people with unhealthy alcohol use.

Tue, 10/03/2023 - 12:00

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 15, Issue 3. For many years, complete abstinence from alcohol consumption was viewed as the most effective way to recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and was a primary outcome of AUD treatment. A large body of evidence, however, suggests that treatment and recovery strategies that reduce heavy alcohol consumption and...

There are many reasons why people choose to participate in Dry January—a time when people take a break from drinking and examine their relationship with alcohol. For some people, it may be part of a New Year’s resolution to incorporate healthy behaviors into their routine. Taking a break from alcohol for an entire month provides one with an opportunity to...

ALCOHOL USE AND ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: Main Findings From the 2012–2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III) April 2016 National Institutes of Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304 Bethesda, MD 20892-9304 Acknowledgments This publication was developed by CSR, Incorporated, under Contract No. HHSN275201300016C for the operation...

Dry January is a time when people take a break from drinking and examine their relationship with alcohol. There are many potential reasons to take advantage of this time to examine your relationship with alcohol. It may be part of a New Year’s resolution to incorporate healthy behaviors into your routine. You may have overindulged during the holidays , and...

ALCOHOL USE AND ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES, A 3‑YEAR FOLLOW‑UP: MAIN FINDINGS FROM THE 2004–2005 WAVE 2 NATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC SURVEY ON ALCOHOL AND RELATED CONDITIONS (NESARC) September 2010 National Institutes of Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304 Bethesda, MD 20892‑9304 Acknowledgments This publication was developed by CSR, Incorporated, under Contract...

It’s always a good idea to periodically examine your relationship with alcohol. A popular way to do this is to participate in a sober month like Dry January or Sober October, which are health and wellness trends that emphasizes taking a break from alcohol for an entire month.

Celebrations during the holidays is a time when some people are more likely to drink beyond their limits than at other times of the year. Some will suffer adverse consequences that range from fights to falls to traffic crashes. Sadly, we often put ourselves and others at risk because we don’t understand how alcohol affects us during an evening of celebratory drinking.

ALCOHOL USE AND ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: MAIN FINDINGS FROM THE 2001–2002 NATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC SURVEY ON ALCOHOL AND RELATED CONDITIONS (NESARC) January 2006 National Institutes of Health National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304 Bethesda, MD 20892-9304 Acknowledgments This publication was developed by CSR, Incorporated, under Contract No. N01AA32007 for the operation...

Spring is a great time to think about your drinking patterns and how alcohol may affect your life.

Alcohol Awareness Month is a good time to reflect on drinking patterns and the role that alcohol plays in our lives.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to update your knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol misuse on health and society. It is also a good time to talk to teens about drinking and to equip them with the knowledge to handle situations involving alcohol. Even teens who would not normally be tempted to drink alcohol may be drawn...

A hangover refers to a set of symptoms that occur as a consequence of excessive alcohol use. Typical symptoms include fatigue, weakness, thirst, headache, muscle aches, nausea, stomach pain, vertigo, sensitivity to light and sound, anxiety, irritability, sweating, and increased blood pressure.

This guide is written for individuals, and their family and friends, who are looking for options to address alcohol problems. It is intended as a resource to understand what treatment choices are available and what to consider when selecting among them.

Use the following role-playing exercise to explore and discuss expectations around alcohol with your middle schooler. To view or download printouts of the scripts, please click here [PDF – 3.98 MB]. Role-Playing Exercise Do you think drinking a sports drink will make you a better athlete? What about if you wear the coolest new clothes—will everyone stop and check you...

In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association issued the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5). Although there is considerable overlap between DSM–5 and DSM–IV, the prior edition, there are several important differences in disorder terminology, diagnostic thresholds, removal/adding criterion, and description revisions.