research on alcohol use

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Key Takeaways

• Alcohol is among the most used drugs, plays a large role in many societies and cultures around the world, 1  and greatly impacts public health. 2,3  More people over age 12 in the United States have used alcohol in the past year than any other drug or tobacco product, and alcohol use disorder is the most common type of substance use disorder in the United States. 4
• NIDA works closely with the  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) , the lead NIH institute supporting and conducting research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and well-being. For information on  alcohol  and  alcohol use disorder , please visit  the NIAAA website .
• Because many people use alcohol while using other drugs, 4  NIDA supports and conducts research on both the biological and social dynamics between alcohol use and the use of other substances.

Looking for Treatment?

Use the  SAMHSA Treatment Locator  or call  1-800-662-HELP (4357) .

NIH Resources

• Find treatment for alcohol use disorder and alcohol addiction (previously called alcoholism) using the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator .
• Read more about drinking, its health effects , and tips for cutting back on drinking .
• Read more about the latest advances in alcohol addiction research on the NIAAA Director’s Blog .
• Learn more about how NIH Institutes and Centers work together to better understand, treat and prevent addiction through the Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN) initiative.
• Learn more about the scientific meeting “ Opioid Use in the Context of Polysubstance Use: Research Opportunities for Prevention, Treatment, and Sustained Recovery .”

NIDA Resources

• See the latest statistics on alcohol use among young students from NIDA’s Monitoring the Future Survey.

More on this Topic

Commercial interests contribute to drug use and addiction, addiction often goes hand-in-hand with other mental illnesses. both must be addressed., cannabis and hallucinogen use among adults remained at historic highs in 2023, doctors reluctant to treat addiction most commonly report “lack of institutional support” as barrier, additional resources.

• Find basic health information on alcohol use disorder from MEDLINEplus , a service of NIH’s National Library of Medicine (NIH).
• Read Alcohol Misuse information from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
• Learn more about medical approaches to treating alcohol use disorder from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Medication for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: A Brief Guide .
• Read Alcohol Misuse Prevention: A Conversation for Everyone from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
• Sudhinaraset M, Wigglesworth C, Takeuchi DT. Social and Cultural Contexts of Alcohol Use: Influences in a Social-Ecological Framework. Alcohol Res. 2016;38(1):35-45.
• Witkiewitz K, Litten RZ, Leggio L. Advances in the science and treatment of alcohol use disorder. Sci Adv. 2019;5(9):eaax4043. Published 2019 Sep 25. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax4043
• GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators. Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 [published correction appears in Lancet. 2018 Sep 29;392(10153):1116] [published correction appears in Lancet. 2019 Jun 22;393(10190):e44]. Lancet. 2018;392(10152):1015-1035. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2
• Substance Abuse Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Results from the  2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables, SAMHSA . Accessed January 2023.