National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Show your patients a standard drink chart when asking about their alcohol consumption to encourage more accurate estimates. Drinks often contain more alcohol than people think, and patients often underestimate their consumption. Advise some patients not to drink at all, including those who are managing health conditions that can be worsened by alcohol, are taking medications that could interact with alcohol, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are under age 21.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Because drinking alcohol is a large part of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities for many people, this is a good time to be mindful of how alcohol can impact your celebrations and your health.

Thu, 03/31/2011 - 12:00

Thu, 03/31/2011 - 12:00

Alcohol use during pregnancy contributes to many problems in exposed children. Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure leads to fetal alcohol syndrome, a devastating birth defect characterized by craniofacial malformations, neurological and motor deficits, intrauterine growth retardation, learning disabilities, and behavioral and social deficits. Most women who drink alcohol during pregnancy, however, are light-to-moderate drinkers in early pregnancy and quit or decrease...

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

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...

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...

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...

April 23-24, 1998 • Ramada Inn • Bethesda, Maryland Abstracts The Seattle Pregnancy and Health Program: A Demonstration Grant to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Intervene in Female Alcohol Abuse During Pregnancy Ruth E. Little, Sc.D., Ann P. Streissguth, Ph.D., and Gay M. Guzinski, M.D. From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology...

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has released a new guide for health care practitioners to help them identify and care for patients with heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders. Helping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guide [ PDF ]is now available free online ( www.niaaa.nih.gov )...

Harmful and underage college drinking are significant public health problems, and they exact an enormous toll on the intellectual and social lives of students on campuses across the United States. Drinking at college has become a ritual that students often see as an integral part of their higher education experience. Many students come to college with established drinking habits, and the college environment can exacerbate the problem.

Unhealthy alcohol drinking patterns may go hand-in-hand with unhealthy eating habits, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Examining diet quality of individuals who drink any kind of alcoholic beverage, researchers found that people who...

A 12-year study of 38,077 male health professionals found that men who drank alcohol three or more days per week had a reduced risk of heart attack compared with men who drank less frequently. Men who drank less than one drink a day had similar risk reduction to those who drank three. Many epidemiologic studies have reported that moderate drinking-for...

Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of beer, wine, or malt liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. For example, many light beers have almost as much...

Percentage change in per capita alcohol consumption, United States, 1977–2019. Year Beer Wine Spirits All beverages 2019 82.7 148.3 85.6 91.5 2018 83.5 148.3 83.7 90.8 2017 84.3 148.3 81.7 90.4 2016 85.8 148.3 79.8 90.4 2015 85.8 144.8 77.9 89.6 2014 86.6 148.3 76.9 89.2 2013 88.2 144.8 76.0 89.6 2012 89.0 144.8 75.0 90.0 2011 88.2 141.4 73.1...

Underage drinking is a serious public health problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth, and drinking by young people poses enormous health and safety risks.

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.

How much and how often people drink – not just the average amount of alcohol they consume over time – independently influence the risk of death from several causes, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). "Taken together, our results reinforce the importance of drinking in moderation. In drinkers who are not alcohol...

Appendix A. Differences Among Survey Data Sources Item NHSDA/NSDUH MTF YRBS Sample Characteristics Survey population Civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 12 and older, including residents of households and noninstitutional group quarters, and civilians living on military installations 8th, 10th, 12th graders enrolled in school 9th through 12th graders enrolled in school Sample size (2019) 67,625 youth and adults 18,766 12- to...

Appendix A. Differences Among Survey Data Sources Item NHSDA/NSDUH MTF YRBS Sample Characteristics Survey population Civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 12 and older, including residents of households and noninstitutional group quarters, and civilians living on military installations 8th, 10th, 12th graders enrolled in school 9th through 12th graders enrolled in school Sample size (2019) 67,625 youth and adults 18,766 12- to...

A new, interactive video training program from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), demonstrates quick and effective strategies for screening patients for heavy drinking and helping them to cut down or quit. “The video scenarios demonstrate evidence-based techniques for assessing and managing at-risk drinking and alcohol use disorders,” says...