Dramatic Increases in Alcohol Use, Abuse Reported in U.S. Adults

https://goo.gl/W14Ghi

Alcohol use, high-risk drinking and alcohol dependence all increased dramatically in the United States from 2002 to 2013, researchers reported, with spikes in overall drinking and problem drinking highest among women, the elderly, and minorities.

Authors of the study, published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, described the increases as "unprecedented" and warned that they constitute a public health crisis currently overshadowed by the focus on other abused substances.

"These are the largest alcohol increases we have seen in three decades," lead author Bridget F. Grant, PhD, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, told MedPage Today. "The focus has been on opioids, heroin, and marijuana use, but these are low prevalent disorders. Thirty million Americans now abuse alcohol."

Grant and colleagues compared data from two editions of the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions -- one covering 2001-2002 and the other 2012-2013 -- which track alcohol consumption patterns to identify changes in 12-month alcohol use, 12-month high-risk drinking, and 12-month alcohol use disorder (AUD).

High-risk drinking was defined as four or more standard drinks on any day for women and five or more on any day for men, and exceeding these daily drinking limits at least weekly during the past 12 months.

The survey data comparison revealed that:

  • Alcohol use in the U.S. grew from 65.4% in 2001-2002 to 72.7% in 2012-2013
  • High risk drinking grew from 9.7% of the adult population (20.2 million Americans) in 2001-2012 to 12.6% (29.6 million Americans) in 2012-2013
  • DMS-IV diagnosis of AUD prevalence was 8.5% of the total adult population (17.6 million people) in 2001-2002 and 12.7% (29.9 million people) in 2012-2013
  • Prevalence of high-risk drinking and AUD among women rose 57.9% and 83.7%, respectively, during the study period
  • Among men, prevalence of high-risk drinking and AUD increased 15.5% and 34.7%, respectively

The researchers called these increases "alarming" and said the same of highly significant increases in alcohol use and abuse among the elderly and racial and ethnic minorities.

Prevalence of alcohol use among adults who were ages 65 and older increased by 22.4% between the two surveys, while high-risk drinking and AUD among the elderly increased by 106.7% and 61.9%, respectively.

And between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, there was a 92.8% increase in AUD prevalence among African Americans and a 65.9% increase among people reporting incomes of less than $20,000.