Graduation is a time to celebrate. But before your high school seniors begin their parties, take the time to talk with them about keeping events alcohol-free—it just may save a life. No amount of underage drinking is legal or safe. And we know that any underage drinking can lead to consuming too much alcohol, which may result in poor decisions, injuries, alcohol overdose, and possibly death.

NIAAA promotes advancement in several critical research areas with special programs and by participating on select committees. Priority research areas include: Medications Development NIAAA’s Medications Development Program focuses on expanding safe and effective medication options for those suffering from alcohol use disorders and alcohol induced organ damage. The Medications Development Program offers funding grants and contracts to academic research institutions...

You’ve probably seen this warning on medicines you’ve taken. The danger is real. Mixing alcohol with certain medications can cause nausea and vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, or loss of coordination. It also can put you at risk for internal bleeding, heart problems, and difficulties in breathing. In addition to these dangers, alcohol can make a medication less effective or even useless, or it may make the medication harmful or toxic to your body.

Events such as Dry January and Sober October, as well as the broader sober curious movement, are rapidly gaining popularity, especially among Millennials.

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.

The holiday season is here, bringing with it many opportunities for parties, celebrations, and for some – overindulging. So, it’s a good time to understand a little more about the possible consequences of these festivities, particularly the dreaded hangover.

Alcohol-related problems exact an immense toll on individuals, families, and communities. In the United States, more than 178,000 people die per year from alcohol misuse, making alcohol a leading preventable cause of death. 1 From the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 through 2021, alcohol-related deaths increased approximately 38%, far outpacing previous increases of around 2% per year...

Are you a risky drinker? Nearly 70% of American adults drink alcohol and nearly 1/3 of them engage in problem drinking at some point in their lives. Produced by HBO Documentary Films and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health, Risky Drinking is a no-holds-barred look at a national epidemic through the...

El verano suele ser una temporada maravillosa para las actividades al aire libre y para pasar un poco más de tiempo con familiares y amigos. Para algunas personas, estas actividades incluyen consumir de bebidas con alcohol. Este verano, tome medidas para proteger su salud y la de sus seres queridos. Los nadadores pueden pasarse de la raya Más muertes por...

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.

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 14, Issue 3. Gene editing could one day help reverse anxiety and excessive drinking caused by adolescent exposure to alcohol, according to a new study in rats supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). A team of investigators led by NIAAA grantee Subhash C. Pandey, Ph.D., the...

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AGENDA 150th Meeting of the NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM Thursday, February 7, 2019 Conference Rooms A,B,C, 6700-B Rockledge Dr., Bethesda, MD 20817 Webcast: National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - February 2019 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM...

NEW! Posted on May 2, 2024 Surveillance Report #121 [ PDF ]: Apparent Per Capita Alcohol Consumption: National, State, and Regional Trends, 1977–2022 (Slater, Megan E.; Alpert, Hillel R.) April 2024 Examines trends in apparent alcohol consumption in the United States. Findings are based on alcoholic beverage sales data, collected from the States or the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association...

What Is Binge Drinking? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08%–or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter–or higher. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks (male), or four or more drinks (female), in about two...

Graduación Antes de que sus hijos celebren su graduación de secundaria, hable con ellos sobre cómo mantener los eventos libres del consumo de alcohol. ¡Puede salvar una vida! Ninguna cantidad de consumo de alcohol entre menores de edad es segura. Y sabemos que el consumo de alcohol entre menores de edad puede llevar a consumir demasiado alcohol, lo que puede...

With small, incremental steps, you can create and support a better system of care for your patients with alcohol-related problems.

Understanding how alcohol use and misuse impact women and developing interventions tailored to the unique needs of women

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 is dually reinforcing because it can both activate the brain’s reward processing system that mediates pleasure and reduce the activity of the brain’s systems that mediate negative emotional states such as stress, anxiety, and emotional pain. Repeated, excessive use of alcohol can lead to the development of addiction, which is associated with reduced reward function and increased activation of brain stress systems. The process of becoming addicted is thus accompanied by a shift in drinking motivation from positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement, during which drinking is motivated by attempts to reduce the emotional discomfort of acute and protracted withdrawal.

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 14, Issue 3. Suicide deaths involving heavy alcohol use have increased significantly among women in recent years, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Previous research has shown that alcohol is a risk factor for suicidal behavior and that women have a...