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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

HIV and Alcohol: Ending the Epidemic
Title : HIV and Alcohol: Ending the Epidemic (EHE) Contact : Kendall Bryant Ph.D. Background The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative in 2019. The initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections in the U.S. by 90% by 2030 by scaling up key HIV prevention and treatment...

News Release

Researchers Identify Potential Medication for Early-Onset Alcoholism -- Findings advance search for mechanisms of disease--
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Investigators at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio report in the lead article in today's Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 284, Number 8) that the medication ondansetron may be an effective therapy for patients with early-onset alcohol dependence (alcoholism). Ondansetron appears to work by acting on serotonin, one of the brain's many neurotransmitters. The...

Event

CADCA Leadership Forum 2021
Tuesday, February 2, 2021, 2:30 pm EST to Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 12:45 pm EST
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Virtual National Leadership Forum February 1-4, 2021. NIAAA presentations include the following: NIAAA Power Session Date: February 2, 2021 Time: 2:30 - 3:45 PM Presenter: NIAAA Director Dr. George F. Koob Update on Women and Alcohol: An Emerging Public Health Crisis Date: February 3, 2021 Time: 10:00 - 11:15 PM Presenters: Dr. Deidra Roach...

Advisory Council Minutes

First Joint Meeting of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AND THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON DRUG ABUSE The National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NIDA) convened for their first joint meeting at 10:00 a.m. on September 12, 2011, at Building 1, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Nora Volkow...

News Release

NIH holds competition to create better wearable alcohol biosensor
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First prize winner will be awarded $200,000 In the search for a wearable or otherwise discreet device capable of measuring blood alcohol levels in real time, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has issued the Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Challenge. The wearable biosensor will aid researchers, clinicians, therapists and individuals by providing more accurate data on how much...

Mark Keller Honorary Lecture Series
About the Mark Keller Honorary Lecture Series Lecture Date Lecturer Name Lecture Title November 29, 2018 Philip A. May, Ph.D. Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Characteristics and Correlates November 30, 2017 Kenneth J. Sher, Ph.D Development and Resolution of Alcohol Use Disorders November 3, 2016 Michael Charness, M.D. Neurodevelopment and Alcohol: From Cell Adhesion to Cell Phones November 5...
FY 2005 Hearing on Substance Abuse and Mental Health - Director's Statement Before the House Appropriations Subcommittee

Members of the Committee, thank you for your concern about alcohol, drug, and mental health problems, issues that rank very high in their impact on public health and on the Nation. I thank my distinguished colleagues for their contributions in these areas and for sharing in our discussion today. I am Dr. Ting-Kai Li, Director of the National Institute on...

News Release

Muscle weakness seen in alcoholism linked to mitochondrial repair issues
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Muscle weakness from long-term alcoholism may stem from an inability of mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, to self-repair, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. In research conducted with rats, scientists found evidence that chronic heavy alcohol use affects a gene involved in mitochondrial repair and muscle regeneration. “The finding gives insight into why chronic heavy...

News Release

Drug to treat alcohol use disorder shows promise among drinkers with high stress
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NIH-funded multi-site clinical trial suggests that smokers may also benefit A new medication that targets part of the brain’s stress system may help reduce alcohol use in people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. “Medications have become...

A Better Way to Talk About Problems with Alcohol Misuse
Did you know that language commonly used to describe alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder (AUD) can influence treatment outcomes in people suffering from alcohol problems? Yes, that can often be the case. In fact, the stigma perpetuated by such language can decrease a person’s motivation to seek help for an alcohol problem
Minority Health and Health Disparities (MHHD) and Diversity Training Resources
Commitment to Improving Research The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is committed to improving the quality and quantity of alcohol research studying underrepresented populations. Groups shown to suffer health disparities, or differences in the incidence, morbidity, or mortality associated with alcohol misuse as well as different medical, interpersonal and social consequences include: Racial and ethnic minorities Rural and...
Peer Pressure
Middle schoolers face peer pressure in many different ways, whether it’s to have the latest smartphone or app, wear trendy clothes, or go somewhere to hang out with friends. Your middle schooler will feel peer pressure when they are being pushed toward making certain choices—good or bad— by their friends or classmates. What’s so difficult about avoiding peer pressure? Simply...

News Release

NIAAA honors nonprofit leader with Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award
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Marianne “Mimi” Fleury, president and co-founder of the Community of Concern of North Bethesda, Md., today received the Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA Acting Director Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., announced her selection during the 132nd meeting of the National Advisory Council on...

News Release

Diet Quality Worsens as Alcohol Intake Increases
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People who drink more are also likely to eat less fruit and consume more calories from a combination of alcoholic beverages and foods high in unhealthy fats and added sugars, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study...

News Release

Brain Stress System Presents Possible Treatment Target for Alcohol Dependence
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A brain circuit that underlies feelings of stress and anxiety shows promise as a new therapeutic target for alcoholism, according to new studies by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In preclinical and clinical studies currently reported online in Science Express, NIAAA Clinical Director Markus Heilig, M.D...

News Release

Finding May Explain Link Between Alcohol and Certain Cancers
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Drinking alcoholic beverages has been linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer and other types of cancer. Researchers looking for the potential biochemical basis for this link have focused on acetaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen formed as the body metabolizes alcohol. In the journal Nucleic Acids Research (vol. 33, num. 11), scientists from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse...

NIAAA Spectrum: Anxiety and Depression Predict Relapse in AUD Patients with Chronic Pain

Interventions to reduce anxiety and depression may help prevent relapse in individuals with chronic pain who are recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). This conclusion comes from a recent study in which investigators reanalyzed data collected from people with chronic pain who participated in one of two major clinical trials on alcohol treatment, one in the United States and one...

Alcohol Consumption During the Pandemic: Extending Longitudinal Survey and Analysis
Gregory Bloss, M.A., M.P.P./ Program Director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research Acquisition Type/Actions The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) requests approval from the NIAAA Advisory Council to allow Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International to submit a contract proposal in response to a sole-source request for proposal. This acquisition, for other than full and open competition...
Understanding Alcohol’s Adverse Impact on Health
Alcohol has long been a part of American culture, and most adults who drink do so responsibly. At the same time, alcohol-related problems among adults and adolescents—which result from drinking too much, too fast, or too often—are among the most significant public health issues in the United States and internationally.
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)—part of the National Institutes of Health, the Nation’s medical research agency— funds research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) with projects on preventing prenatal alcohol exposure, treating women with alcohol use disorder, improving the diagnosis of FASD, establishing more precise prevalence estimates of FASD in the United States, increasing our understanding...

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