Third of US Adults Face Alcohol Use Disorder: Study

A new study claims that nearly one-third of US adults are distressed by alcohol use at some time in their lives but only 20 percent report it.

Researchers who sought to determine incidence of Alcohol Use Disorder or AUD, found that rates were higher among men than women. AUD is defined as distress or harm from problem drinking and could be categorized as mild, moderate or severe.

"These findings underscore that alcohol problems are deeply entrenched and significantly under-treated in our society. The new data should provide further impetus for scientists, clinicians, and policy makers to bring AUD treatment into the mainstream of medical practice," said National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Director George F Koob.

The data for the study was obtained from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III. NIAAA researchers interviewed 36,000 adults during 2012-2013 as part of the survey.

The study also found that age was inversely related to past-year AUD diagnosis, and that more than 7 percent of adults aged between 18 and 29 years had AUD in the past year.

Researchers have called for urgent efforts to create awareness about AUD and its treatment that can help de-stigmatize the disorder.