Drinking Problems and Americans
Lifetime Prevalence of Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Addiction
Jan 23, 2009
The U.S. government has funded an extremely important study. The report, “Prevalence, Correlates, Disability, and Comorbidity of DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence in the United States: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions", Deborah S. Hasin, Frederick S. Stinson, Elizabeth Ogburn, and Bridget F. Grant, was published in the July, 2007 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Lifetime Prevalence of Alcoholism is Much Higher than Previously Thought
From a lifetime prevalence perspective, the study found that about 42 percent of men and about 19 percent of women reported a history of either alcohol abuse or alcoholism at some point in their lives. Whites and Native Americans were more likely than other ethnic groups to report drinking problems. Overall, the level of problem drinking was far greater for both men and women than previously believed, and is much more prevalent and dangerous than society understands.
The findings were based upon accepted criteria to demonstrate a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence, and not simple recreational drinking or isolated incidents of drinking to intoxication. Alcohol abuse was defined as drinking-related failure to fulfill major obligations at work, school or home; social or legal problems; and drinking in hazardous situations. Alcoholism was characterized by compulsive drinking; preoccupation with drinking; and tolerance to alcohol or withdrawal symptoms.
DSM IV Criteria
These definitions were taken from the Fourth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV), as based on the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic criteria. A diagnosis of alcohol abuse required one or more of the alcohol abuse criteria to be present, and alcohol dependence required three or more of the seven criteria for dependence given in the manual.
The study involved a survey of more than 43,000 face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of Americans, ages 18 and older. It was based on an analysis of the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.
While previously reports found that generally 4.7 percent of adults reported alcohol abuse and 3.8 percent reported alcoholism, this study differs in that it measures lifetime prevalence of a diagnosable condition. It is the first such study to report the prevalence of alcohol problems over a lifetime.
Statistical Findings
The study also found that:
- 8.5 per cent of adults had an alcohol use disorder in the 12 months up to the survey;
- Alcohol abuse developed at an average age of 22.5, while alcohol dependence developed at an average age of 21.9;
- Alcohol dependence was linked with disability and the levels of disability progressed steadily higher with increasing severity of dependence;
- Of those who had alcohol dependence at some point in their lives, only 24.1 per cent had ever been treated;
- The researchers also found that alcohol abuse and dependence were linked quite significantly to use of other substances and their associated disorders.
Alcohol Abuse Remains too High
The researchers concluded that alcohol abuse and dependence remain highly prevalent and disabling in American society. The result predictably is that too many individuals and families will suffer the many devastating consequences from abuse. The study was funded by the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
Resource:
Prevalence, Correlates, Disability, and Comorbidity of DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence
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