Increases in alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the US population and among subgroups, especially women, older adults, racial/ethnic minorities, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, constitute a public health crisis, according to a recent study. The study data were derived from face-to-face interviews conducted in 2 nationally representative surveys of US adults: The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (n=43,093), with data collected from April 2001 to June 2002, and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III (n=36,309), with data collected from April 2012 to June 2013. Researchers found:

• Between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013, 12-month alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV AUD increased by 11.2%, 29.9%, and 49.4%, respectively, with alcohol use increasing from 65.4% to 72.7%, high-risk drinking increasing from 9.7% to 12.6%, and DSM-IV AUD increasing from 8.5% to 12.7%.
• With few exceptions, increases in alcohol use, high-risk drinking, and DSM-IV AUD between 2001-2002 and 2012-2013 were also statistically significant across sociodemographic subgroups.