Robert B. Huebner, Ph.D., a longtime coordinator and champion of alcohol treatment research during his career at NIAAA and after his retirement from the federal government, received the Senator Harold Hughes Memorial Award today from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., announced the Institute’s...

The 2024 NIAAA Liaison Group Virtual Roundtable with Dr. George F. Koob, NIAAA Director, and the NIAAA senior staff will be held on October 2, at 12 noon ET. Meeting details and a Zoom link are below. We hope you will be able to join us and warmly encourage your participation. Please RSVP to Deborah Langer at deborah.langer@nih.gov. Meeting Agenda...

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 16, Issue 3 . According to data from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 68% of adults ages 21 and older in the United States drink alcohol. 1 At the same time, researchers believe that the recent “sober-curious” movement may be encouraging some people to reevaluate their relationship...

This article was first published in NIAAA Spectrum Volume 16, Issue 3 . The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) is a key, three-question tool used by health professionals to screen people for alcohol misuse. Although previous clinical research has validated use of the AUDIT-C, its test–retest reliability—a measure of the consistency of a test’s results over time—has not been...

This section of NativeAIR presents interventions designed to reduce or prevent alcohol misuse among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Prevention is consistent with AI/AN traditional approaches to health. The empowering of wellness is viewed as preferable to addressing ill health whenever possible.

Interventions focused on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are designed to reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancies and FASD among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The emphasis among many AI/AN communities on the health of future generations has prioritized this research.

The NativeAIR treatment section includes interventions designed to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) and support recovery among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Alcohol treatment and recovery services are often limited on reservations, and even Indian Health Services clinics may have limited resources to offer specialty services. Some epidemiological studies have found high rates of AUD among AI/AN populations, while others have found high rates of abstinence or drinking in moderation with large variations by age, gender, Tribe, cultural group, and residential pattern.

Each NativeAIR intervention was assessed on nine variables: setting, delivery, participants, staffing, research design, outcomes, cultural engagement, costs, and developmental stage of the research.

List of all references cited in the NativeAIR intervention descriptions.

A nationwide fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) primary prevention project employing public education, training of clinicians, establishing clinics and referrals, and developing prevention materials for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

FAS prevention curriculum that used educational materials (video, study guides, and experiential activities) geared toward Native American middle school students.

Case management (CM) intervention provided to women at high risk of drinking during pregnancy as a part of a comprehensive fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) epidemiology and prevention program.

Culturally tailored, web-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) administered to AI/AN women of childbearing age.

Fitness Training intervention to improve fitness and self-esteem while decreasing substance use among First Nation adolescents.

Banning Alcohol is a policy intervention to limit community access to alcohol.

BUYOI-AI, is a school-based substance use prevention intervention for middle-school American Indian youth focused on strengthening their sense of personal autonomy, identity, and relatedness with others.

A school-based alcohol misuse prevention intervention for at-risk Native high school students.