One in eight American adults are alcoholics, study says

[dav...@agent.com]

One in eight American adults are alcoholics, study says
By Chris Ingraham, Aug 11, 2017, WaPo

A new study published in JAMA Psychiatry this month finds that the
rate of alcohol use disorder, or what's colloquially known as
“alcoholism,” rose by a shocking 49 percent in the first decade of the
2000s. One in eight American adults, or 12.7 percent of the U.S.
population, now meets diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder,
according to the study.

The study's authors characterize the findings as a serious and
overlooked public health crisis, noting that alcoholism is a
significant driver of mortality from a cornucopia of ailments: “fetal
alcohol spectrum disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases,
stroke, liver cirrhosis, several types of cancer and infections,
pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes, and various injuries.”

Indeed, the study's findings are bolstered by the fact that deaths
from a number of these conditions, particularly alcohol-related
cirrhosis and hypertension, have risen concurrently over the study
period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that
88,000 people a year die of alcohol-related causes, more than twice
the annual death toll of opiate overdose.

How did the study's authors judge who counts as “an alcoholic”?

The study's data comes from the National Epidemiologic Survey on
Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative
survey administered by the National Institutes of Health. Survey
respondents were considered to have alcohol use disorder if they met
widely used diagnostic criteria for either alcohol abuse or
dependence.

For a diagnosis of alcohol abuse, an individual must have exhibited at
least one of the following characteristics in the past year (bulleted
text is quoted directly from the National Institutes of Health):

Recurrent use of alcohol resulting in a failure to fulfill major role
obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor
work performance related to alcohol use; alcohol-related absences,
suspensions, or expulsions from school; neglect of children or
household).

Recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically
hazardous (e.g., driving an automobile or operating a machine when
impaired by alcohol use).

Recurrent alcohol-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for
alcohol-related disorderly conduct).

Continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or
interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of alcohol
(e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of intoxication).

For a diagnosis of alcohol dependence, an individual must experience
at least three of the following seven symptoms (again, bulleted text
is quoted directly from the National Institutes of Health):

Need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve intoxication
or desired effect; or markedly diminished effect with continued use of
the same amount of alcohol.

The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for alcohol; or drinking (or
using a closely related substance) to relieve or avoid withdrawal
symptoms.

Drinking in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended.

Persistent desire or one or more unsuccessful efforts to cut down or
control drinking.

Important social, occupational, or recreational activities given up or
reduced because of drinking.

A great deal of time spent in activities necessary to obtain, to use,
or to recover from the effects of drinking.

Continued drinking despite knowledge of having a persistent or
recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to be
caused or exacerbated by drinking.

Meeting either of those criteria — abuse or dependence — would lead to
an individual being characterized as having an alcohol use disorder
(alcoholism).

The study found that rates of alcoholism were higher among men (16.7
percent), Native Americans (16.6 percent), people below the poverty
threshold (14.3 percent), and people living in the Midwest (14.8
percent). Stunningly, nearly 1 in 4 adults under age 30 (23.4 percent)
met the diagnostic criteria for alcoholism.

Some caveats

While the study's findings are alarming, a different federal survey,
the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), has shown that
alcohol use disorder rates are lower and falling, rather than rising,
since 2002. Grant says she's not sure what's behind the discrepancies
between the two federal surveys, but it's difficult to square the
declining NSDUH numbers with the rising mortality rates seen in
alcohol-driven conditions like cirrhosis and hypertension.

A separate study looking at differences between the two federal
surveys found that the disparities are probably caused by how each
survey asks about alcohol disorders: It found that the NESARC
questionnaire used in the current study is a “more sensitive
instrument” that leads to a “more thorough probing” of the criteria
for alcohol use disorder.

If the more sensitive data used in the current study is indeed more
accurate, there's one final caveat to note: The study's data go only
through 2013. If the observed trend continues, the true rate of
alcoholism today would be even higher.

What do the researchers think is driving the increase?

“I think the increases are due to stress and despair and the use of
alcohol as a coping mechanism,” said the study's lead author, Bridget
Grant, a researcher at the National Institutes of Health. The study
notes that the increases in alcohol use disorder were “much greater
among minorities than among white individuals,” likely reflecting
widening social inequalities after the 2008 recession.

“If we ignore these problems, they will come back to us at much higher
costs through emergency department visits, impaired children who are
likely to need care for many years for preventable problems, and
higher costs for jails and prisons that are the last resort for help
for many,” University of California at San Diego psychiatrist Marc
Schuckit said in an editorial accompanying the study.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/11/study-one-in-eight-american-adults-are-alcoholics

Christopher Ingraham writes about politics, drug policy and all
things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the
Pew Research Center. Follow @_cingraham

=====================
[52 Comments]

Euskadi, 15 minutes ago
It would be interesting to find out how alcohol consumption has
increased since Trump and his entourage of clowns took over.

Alcohol consumption is part of American culture; a right of passage.
Men are more inclined to adopting this kind of "entertainment" which
eventually becomes a habit and an illness.

In your list of "signs" that a person is or is becoming an alcoholic,
you should clearly and singly denote: inability to perform sexually.
Drunks make terrible lovers. Maybe a study should be carried out on
the correlation between alcohol consumption and purchase of products
for erectile dysfunction. Despite the artifact, drunks make terrible
lovers. Stay clean.
==============
bumanchew, 52 minutes ago
It's not surprising to me that people under the age of 39 tend to meet
the criteria (more than older people). In my teens, through late HS
and college, vacations were usually fueled with alcohol, and though
these were usually more social retreats with friends, our alcohol
consumption was mighty. It was not unusual to have a shot of vodka in
our morning coffee to help jump-start the day. Mind you, we all had
excellent grades handheld down jobs in HS, and I worked my way through
college and never called out for the reasons in the study. Average
young people either drank, used weed, or were 'straight'. I'm sure
it's the same today, though the substances used and the intensity of
their use has changed.
==============
LTC_Phil, 1 hour ago
I would imagine that alcoholics who have sought recovery through AA
and other programs and been successful, are not included in the study.
============
bumanchew, 51 minutes ago
Good point...I wonder.
===========
neighbour to the north, 1 hour ago
It's only going to get worse, given people's worries about the loss of
their health care and the threat of nuclear war, etc. When you're
frightened and lose hope, turning towards alcohol is a predictable
outcome.
==========
jfordyce70, 2 hours ago (Edited)
"One in eight American adults, or 12.7 percent of the U.S. population,
now meets diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder, according to
the study."
Do your math again. One in eight adults = 12.5% of the ADULT
population, not the entire U.S. population.
===========
Captain Deadpool, 4 hours ago
90,000 Americans die every year from booze. Never mind that though,
cannabis is the real problem. Prison is clearly the place for people
who want to consume a flower that makes them giggle and crave pizza.
===========
Alpha1Beta2Gamma3, 7 hours ago
This study is a HUGE underestimate of the people who have significant
drinking problems. There is a large population whose personalities are
severely and negatively distorted by alcohol, to the point of
poisoning their relationships with their fellow humans. Oh, wait,
sorry, I got alcoholics confused with Republicans.
=============
Izzy Nood, 10 hours ago
I'll drink to that!
===========
JacquesNOJAI1, 3 hours ago
That is a pretty big increase.
=============
matteos, 14 hours ago
My alcohol intake sharply increased on November 9!!
==============
ReciprocityRules, 14 hours ago
Coping mechanism? Alcohol use or abuse helps no one cope with despair.
=============
dangulp, 14 hours ago
The definition of someone with an alcohol problem: someone who drinks
more than I do.
=============
NoPoliticalTies, 15 hours ago
No one forces alcohol down your your throat, a cigarette in your lips
or a needle into your arm. Take responsibility for your actions and
quit expecting the government to help you become a contributing member
of society. The healthcare system spends billions of dollars on your
rehabilitation. Care facilities, doctors, nurses, and psychologists
become rich from your relapses and inability to simply say "no".
===========
iceBunny, 14 hours ago
No one forces you to maintain such deep ignorance about the nature of
addiction diseases but you obviously do not have the self control to
educate yourself.
===========
JSenec, 2 hours ago
"Free will," as in the idea that people are all equally able to avoid
addictions, is a discredited 19th century fallacy.
===========
World5, 14 hours ago
No one forces opioids down people's throat either, but it's a national
emergency.
===========
Marko117, 10 hours ago (Edited)
If an addict could "simply say no" they wouldn't be an addict. They
can say "no no no" a million times and REALY mean it every time but,
by definition, it is literally impossible for them to not indulge by
force of will.

And that's why it's a world-wide problem, and has been since people
first crushed a grape.
===========
Kluvon Scott, 16 hours ago (Edited)
The article and its headline seem to relegate to the trash the
findings of the study which finds less alcohol abuse.

Also, I didn't see if the data is self-reported or not.
===========
Zenjamin, 16 hours ago
I don't believe this <hiccup>
===========
Dublin610, 15 hours ago
Your response is juvenile, insensitive and ignorant. You obviously
never had a drinking problem, lived /loved someone who has, or are an
alcoholic but will not admit to it.
===========
Jose Cuervo, 14 hours ago (Edited)
Your response shows that you don't have a sense of humor or understand
sarcasm. Oh, and I grew up in a house with an alcoholic father, and I
thought Zenjamin's joke was funny.
==========
matteos, 14 hours ago
Jose Cuervo. Your father was a tequila fan?
===========
Jose Cuervo, 12 hours ago
No, more like Old Fashions. You know, the Mad Men era type.
===========
Skifool, 2 hours ago
Me too.
==========
Jyn Erso, 17 hours ago
I think more women are abusing alcohol these days. WaPo ran an article
not too long ago on this topic. I have several female family
members/friends that drink wine seemingly all the time.
===========
jlwallace2, 17 hours ago
A Great friend of mine is an Alcoholic.
Many years ago HE DECIDED to quit and seek help. It had cost him his
family and his health.He went to the local Hospital Emergency
department late one evening and quietly asked the Nurse on duty He
needed Help , stating He had a Drinking problem. The Nurse replied
there was nothing she could do to help him, so he left. As he was
exiting the Hospital a total Stranger approached him and said I heard
what you asked the Nurse back there. The stranger said here is a
Number you can call for help!
The Number turned out to be AA
My friend went to AA and He was able to turn his life around. Today a
different Person than he was !
If it weren't for the kindness of that total stranger my Friend would
tell you he would be in a Grave ! He's a Great Guy ! So many stories
like his . Many are never blessed with a Total Stranger.
===========
RichardHed, 12 hours ago
A lovely story. Almost certainly not true, but a good story
nevertheless. AA doesn't need help from people shilling for them with
engaging stories - particularly not those that denigrate health
professionals. There are plenty of people who can tell the truth about
how they got to AA and how much they have been helped. They don't need
the BS.
=============
Marko117, 10 hours ago (Edited)
Well, it is true that if you walk into any old hospital and ask for
help with your alcoholism they'll ask you to leave. They rarely do
that sort of specialized treatment, and your insurance has to cover
rehab and detox.

And people in AA do help alcoholics in need. That's the 12th step. It
happens a lot. And it's free.

But I can't say anything about the details of this story. I wasn't
there.
===========
tlantzer, 18 hours ago
I wonder if some of the increase in cirrhosis and hypertension is
because of a rise in obesity rather than alcohol use.
===========
jlwallace2, 17 hours ago
Definitely plays a Role
===========
Theraphosidae, 18 hours ago
I'll drink to that.
==========
Dublin610, 15 hours ago
Your response is juvenile, insensitive and ignorant. You obviously
never had a drinking problem, lived /loved someone who has, or are an
alcoholic but will not admit to it.
===========
matteos, 14 hours ago
And you're named after an Irish city..
===========
MountainWestBob, 18 hours ago
The label "alcoholic" is applied much too often by non-professionals
against people who drink regularly but who are neither dependent nor
addicted. The old wag's comment that "An alcoholic is the person who
has one more drink than you" is true more often than it ever should
be. It's usually applied by the sanctimonious against others who they
feel superior to, but who they still must have some relationship with.
Have no problem with the diagnostic criteria. Just with the
application of the label as a way some folks work to control or demean
others.
===========
zzest77, 18 hours ago
Agree with you a ton MWB,,, and from this old guy who got his BA in
Physiological Psychology 47 years ago, the application of onerous
labels is one of the things the shrinks, whether MD or PhD do in order
to increase their clients, and without regard to any general or
specific guidelines other than the ones THEY make and publicize.
SHAME on them...
==============
zzest77, 18 hours ago
And I would like to add some first hand observations after reading the
rest of the comments below, which, as usual with WAPO, are intelligent
and applicable, except when moronic, as does happen.
Both parents were drinkers, one followed the maxim: Not drunk is he
who from the floor can rise again and drink once more, but drunk is he
who prostrate lies, and cannot either drink nor rise.
I saw this first hand when my brother in London came home, lay on the
floor, and could not get up until he had to leave for work the next
morning.
One of the aforesaid parents was similar, the other never missed a day
of work.
SO, trying my best to be rational, reasonable, and so on and so forth,
my ''adventures'' into the alcoholic beverages have been very
controlled, as in stopping drinking a bottle of booze, with a six pack
or so 'chaser', in favor of a bottle of wine, which we now have began
to understand is very healthy, especially if shared with our beloved.
We, and the folks who have planted millions of acres of vineyards
recenly in the Salinas Valley, including the hills there about, can
only hope for more such ''modern'' science.

Thank you.
=============
Katwiccan, 15 hours ago (Edited)
That would be considered a functional alcoholic. My father was one.
However he needed ever increasing amounts of alcohol to maintain the
blood level to keep him from going into withdrawal. He continued to
drink and smoke after having by pass surgery which led to his death at
57. Had he stopped drinking and smoking he would have lived longer,
but he was addicted to alcohol and cigarettes. Just because he could
still work doesn't make him not an alcoholic, had he lived he would
had have to stop because of his drinking. In fact he planned to quit
work the day before his fatal heart attack and retire early. Ironic
isn't it.
=============
CV4Wheeler, 18 hours ago
Still modest compared to what happened to Russian men after the sudden
collapse of the USSR
https://qz.com/403307/russia-is-quite-literally-drinking-itself-to-death/
In a real way, the USA is experiencing a slow-motion collapse of our
nation, so the outcome may be similar. Perhaps as is the case for
opioid abuse, the legalization of weed will help slow the growth of
alcohol abuse.
=============
matteos, 14 hours ago
"Perhaps as is the case for opioid abuse, the legalization of weed
will help slow the growth of alcohol abuse. "

So very very true!!!
=============
Sonnig Freitag, 49 minutes ago
However, it seems we are getting closer to Russia in more ways than
one.
=============
back to blogging, 19 hours ago
Glad "JAMA" published this now. The diagnosis criteria for this study
seem right on target, as do the findings. I can only speak from
personal observation and experience, based on the number of alcoholics
showing up for treatment and speaking of their experiences. Often,
abuse of alcohol is closely tied with abuse of other drugs, such as
opioids -- legal and cheaper!
===========
BlueGrin, 19 hours ago
"Important social, occupational, or recreational activities given up
or reduced because of drinking"

So, if your social activities increase because of drinking, do you get
credit for a -1?
==============
back to blogging, 19 hours ago
Please note the "or" in the statement. But my first thought was, hey,
keep on using--things might change.
==============
albertnorth, 19 hours ago
One in eight IS, not are.
==============
Soudesuka, 19 hours ago
"One in eight IS, not are."

I think they're both valid, since the sentence is describing a group
of people as a proportion, not a single person.
=============
Calf Fiend, 17 hours ago
Meaning rests in the deep structure of the sentence. "One" is the
subject and is modified by two prepositional phrases,"in eight" and
"(of) American Adults". Therefore the verb must be singular is to
agree with the subject.
=============
Soudesuka, 17 hours ago
"Meaning rests in the deep structure of the sentence."

Wait, you say the 'deep structure' and 'meaning', but then ignore both
to say that it should be the singular verb.

The subject of the sentence is a large number of people. You could
claim that it's a singular group, with the name "1 in 8 American
adults", but you could also claim that it's a number of individual
people comprising 12.5% of the American public. I tend to prefer the
latter.

(as a side note, in British English I don't think this would even be
an issue, since even their group verbs use the plural. For example,
they say "Google have expanded their search engine" rather than
"Google has expanded its search engine".)
=============
Kluvon Scott, 16 hours ago
When in doubt, change the sentence. "One of every eight is..."
===============
iceBunny, 14 hours ago (Edited)
Alphabet would be a they but Google is an it.
==============
The Other Paul Rudolph, 16 hours ago
Then it would be ones in eights are...
==============
Tenknots19 hours ago
Really? That's your takeaway?

[The Spirit Of '76]

Bullshit