American Alcoholism Numbers Climb

(Fall 2017) The spotlight cast lately on rising marijuana usage and the widespread opioid crisis has diverted emphasis off the nation’s alcohol usage. However, a recent study by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) concluded that over the span of little more than a decade (2001 to 2013) the rate of overall U.S. alcohol use increased from 65% to 73%.

Additionally, the researchers identified that the rate of high-risk drinking increased from 10% in 2001-2002 to nearly 13% by 2012-2013. High-risk drinking is classified as “four or more standard drinks on any day for women and five or more standard drinks on any day for men.” In addition, these daily drinking amounts were required to have happened at least weekly over the past year.

NIAAA’s new data also indicates that about 12% of Americans are battling an alcohol use disorder. A comparison of surveys conducted from 2002-2003 and then again from 2012-2013 revealed that alcohol use disorders swelled from 18 million individuals to almost 30 million a decade later.

When viewed by demographics, some new patterns emerged from NIAAA’s analysis. Rates of drinking and alcohol abuse in the United States almost doubled among women and African Americans, while older adults (ages 65 and up) showed an almost 107% increase in alcohol use disorders. Other marked growth was noted among minorities and individuals with low socioeconomic status. On the other hand, new findings from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) show that binge drinking among Americans ages 12 to 20 has dropped over the past six years.

Questioning the reported rise in overall drinking and alcoholism rates, the Distilled Spirits Council points to very different conclusions drawn from the yearly National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) that includes approximately 70,000 individuals ages 12 and up. NSDUH data indicate that the number of alcohol use disorders has been decreasing at a consistent rate since the study’s inception in 1988. The 2015 survey found that around 15.7 million Americans indicated an alcohol use disorder in the past 12 months and 7.7 million individuals suffered from an illegal drug use disorder.

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