CHICAGO — Alcohol problems affect almost 33 million adults and most have never sought treatment, according to a government survey that suggests rates have increased in recent years. The study is the first national estimate based on a new term, “alcohol use disorder,” in a widely used psychiatric handbook that was updated in 2013.
Defining alcohol problems
The revised handbook, the DSM-5, defines problem drinkers or those with the disorder as people with at least two of 11 symptoms, including drinking that harms performance at work, school or home, frequent hangovers and failed attempts to limit drinking. Mild problems involve two to three symptoms; severe problems involve at least six symptoms. The new handbook combined alcohol abuse and dependence, which had been separate disorders.
The numbers
Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism asked 36,000 adults during 2012 or 2013 about lifetime drinking habits, including current problems or those within the past year. About 14 percent of adults were current or recent problem drinkers, which calculates out to nearly 33 million nationally, and 30 percent — almost 69 million — had been at some point in their lives. Mild drinking problems were the most common, while 14 percent had never experienced severe drinking problems.
Heavy drinking
Nearly 40 percent of adults surveyed said they had engaged in binge drinking — downing at least five drinks in a day at least once in the past year, up from 31 percent in the earlier survey.
Who’s drinking?
Drinking problems were most prevalent among men, whites and American Indians. Low-income adults, those younger than 30 and those who never married also saw relatively high rates. Problem drinking also was more common among city dwellers than those in rural areas, while the West and Midwest had higher rates than other regions.
Stigma and denial
Dr. George Koob, director of the federal agency that did the survey, said it’s unclear why problem drinking has increased but that many people underestimate the dangers of excessive alcohol. Many won’t seek help because of “stigma and denial,” and many don’t realize that medications and behavior treatments can help.
