National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

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.

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...

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...

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

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.

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...

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.

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...

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...

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.

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).

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 it...

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...

On September 9 th each year, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recognizes International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Awareness Day as a reminder that that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first clinical reports by U.S. researchers identifying fetal alcohol syndrome...

TRENDS IN ALCOHOL-RELATED MORBIDITY AMONG COMMUNITY HOSPITAL DISCHARGES, UNITED STATES, 2000–2015 Chiung M. Chen, M.A. Young-Hee Yoon, Ph.D. CSR, Incorporated 1 Suite 500 4250 N. Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203 August 2018 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service National Institutes of Health 1 CSR, Incorporated, operates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) under Contract No. HHSN275201300016C...

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...

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

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 more. This typically happens if a woman has four or more drinks, or a man has five or more drinks, within about 2 hours...

TRENDS IN UNDERAGE DRINKING IN THE UNITED STATES, 1991–2019 Chiung M. Chen, M.A. Young-Hee Yoon, Ph.D. CSR, Incorporated 1 Suite 220 22375 Broderick Drive Sterling, VA 20166 March 2021 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service National Institutes of Health 1 CSR, Incorporated, operates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) under Contract No. HHSN275201800004C for the National...

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 those...