Findings From A Special Report On Alcohol And Health
Donna E. Shalala today released the Eighth Special Report on Alcohol and Health
, showing U.S. declines in per capita alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis deaths, as well as increased abstention and decreased heavy drinking across a broad range of age, sex and demographic groups.
The report was prepared for Congress by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It details recent scientific progress in understanding, preventing and treating alcoholism and alcohol abuse and their consequences.
The institute estimates that more than 15 million Americans 18 and older meet standard diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism. In addition, many others are involved in alcohol-related traffic crashes, or suffer from injuries and other problems associated with single drinking incidents. Alcohol also is a substantial factor in a wide range of safety and behavioral problems, including domestic and criminal violence and high-risk sexual behaviors.
The report says raising the minimum drinking age has contributed to reduced fatal traffic crashes among persons under 21 years old. In particular, alcohol-related fatal crashes decreased by 47 percent among drivers 16 through 18 and 33 percent among drivers 18 through 20. Despite the raised legal drinking age, alcohol remains the most frequently used drug among U.S. high school seniors.
The report also shows that estimated rates of alcohol abuse and alcoholism in young women are converging with rates for young men. "The Eighth Special Report documents that heavy and chronic drinking can harm virtually every organ and body system," said Secretary Shalala.
NIAAA Director Enoch Gordis, M.D., said, "Heavy drinking has been linked with hypertension, weakened heart muscle, and arrhythmias, and chronic alcohol abuse with adverse effects on immune, endocrine and reproductive functions, among other consequences."
Moderate drinking may reduce risk for coronary heart disease, but moderate use also has been associated with added risk of hemorrhagic stroke, motor vehicle crashes and adverse drug interactions.
Alcoholism treatment research, conducted with increasingly sophisticated study designs, has documented promising psychological and pharmacological interventions. In recent studies, researchers identified pharmacological agents that appear to reduce alcohol craving and relapse in alcoholism treatment patients.
"The ultimate success of treatment efforts lies in uncovering the mechanisms involved in craving, impaired control and other disease features of alcoholism," Gordis said.
In this pursuit, scientists are exploiting new tools in molecular biology, genetics and neuroscience, including advanced biochemical tests, gene mapping and a variety of brain imaging technologies.
One of 17 National Institutes of Health, NIAAA is the lead institute for biomedical and behavioral research on the causes and consequences of alcohol abuse, alcoholism and related problems. NIH is one of the eight U.S. Public Health Service agencies in HHS.
by: Brad Bond
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