Heavy drinking now a public health crisis, researchers say

So many Americans are engaging in high-risk drinking behaviors, defined as consuming binge-level amounts of alcohol at least once a week, that authors of a new study have declared it a "public health crisis."

A comparative survey study, spanning nearly 12 years and examining the drinking behaviors of more than 40,000 Americans, determined a stark increase in society's alcohol consumption habits. The research, led by Bridget F. Grant, PhD, PhD, at the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, S. Patricia Chou, PhD, at the New York City-based New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Tulshi D. Saha, PhD, at New York City-based Columbia University, was published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Specifically, the team conducted two phases of face-to-face surveys: first in 2001-2002 and then again in 2012-2013. According to the authors, the public, policymakers and healthcare professionals should interpret these findings as an urgent need for education on high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder.

Here are eight study insights.

1. Alcohol use amongst Americans increased 11.2 percent in a decade, from 65.4 percent between 2001-2002 to 72.7 percent between 2012-2013.

2. Men saw a 6.8 percent change in drinking behaviors, while women saw a 15.8 percent increase. High-risk drinking, or drinking enough to reach a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher at least once a week, however, increased in men 15.5 percent and in women 57.9 percent.

3. Drinking behaviors increased 24.2 percent in African-Americans, compared to 8.3 percent in Caucasians and 17.2 percent in Hispanics.

4. The population age 65 and up saw the greatest increase (22.4 percent) in drinking behavior, also noting a 65.2 percent increase in high-risk drinking.

5. Widowed, divorced or separated individuals saw an 18.3 percent increase in their alcohol use, compared to married or cohabiting individuals, who saw a 10.3 percent increase. However, widowed, divorced or separated individuals saw a 31.9 percent increase in high-risk drinking whereas married or cohabiting individuals saw a 34.2 percent increase in high-risk drinking.

6. Lower income households (annual income of $0-$19,999) correlated with increased drinking habits, noting a 22.3 percent change over the 10-year timeframe.

7. People living in rural areas saw a 16.3 percent increase in drinking habits, compared to people in urban areas, who saw a 10.1 percent increase in drinking habits.

8. People in the South were more likely to increase their drinking behaviors (15.6 percent change) compared to the West (10.3 percent change), Midwest (9.4 percent change) and Northeast (8.7 percent change).

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