Problems with Alcohol Plague 14 Percent of US Adults

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According to new data on the drinking habits of Americans, about 14 percent, or 33 million, adults in the United states have alcohol related problems.

The new study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry and examined the prevalence of drinking issues based on a new definition of alcohol use disorders in the DSM-5 handbook.  These new definitions classify problems drinkers as those who have two of eleven possible symptoms including continuing to drink even if it hurts relationships, drinking harming performance at either work or school, or the inability to quit.  The severity of the condition is then classified based on the number of the different symptoms that an individual has.

As a part of the new research, the authors of the study interviewed more than 36,000 adults about their lifetime drinking behaviors.  The report showed that 30 percent of those interviewed had been a problem drinker at some point in their lives and 14 percent currently had issues with drinking.  Many of the people had never been treated for their drinking problem.

Researchers found that overall men were more likely to be have trouble with alcohol than women, and the problems were particularly noticeable among adults age 18 to 29, with about 7 percent showing symptoms of a severe drinking problem.  Researchers said these figures are in line with the increasing rates of heavy drinking among adults in that age group.

"Most importantly, this study highlighted the urgency of educating the public and policy makers about alcohol use disorder and its treatments, destigmatizing the disorder, and encouraging among those who cannot reduce their alcohol consumption on their own, despite substantial harm to themselves and others, to seek treatment," the study authors concluded.

Children are being introduced to alcohol at an even earlier age today.  According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children age 12 to 20 drink approximately 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the form of binge drinks.  This essentially starts the children on a path of drinking for their entire life and often results in the dramatic increases in the rates of alcohol problems in people age 18 to 29. 

With consumption of alcohol on the rise, it isn't surprising to researchers that the number of people dealing with problems and addiction to drinking is on the rise as well.  However, exactly how to combat this growing problem has yet to be addressed and researchers did not focus on potential solutions as a part of this study.