Search

Key Takeaways

• Alcohol exposures, including alcohol use, misuse, use disorder, outlets, and policies, may be modifiable risk factors for firearm violence.
• Studies published since 2014 support a causal relationship between various alcohol exposures and firearm-related harms.
• Policies controlling the availability of alcohol and prohibiting firearm access among individuals with alcohol-related...

Key Takeaways

• The literature on social determinants of alcohol-related mortality includes many studies focused on area-level determinants of alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes and cirrhosis or liver disease mortality.
• Extant research highlights the benefits of stronger alcohol policies and the importance of socioeconomic conditions as determinants of alcohol-related mortality.
• Substantial gaps in...

Introduction

Alcohol intoxication alters neuronal networks that markedly impact impulsiveness, balance, and other important brain functions. Although acute intoxication has immediate dangers, alcohol use disorder (AUD) has a lasting impact on individuals and families. AUD is considered a chronic relapsing disease linked to cycles of intoxication often initiated in adolescence that change neuronal...

Introduction

In 2020, an estimated 17% of the U.S. population was older than age 65; this proportion is projected to rise to about 23% by 2060.^1,2 This prompts an urgent need for identifying potential and modifiable risk factors contributing to health decline.^3,4 After tobacco, alcohol is the most misused substance in the United States and abroad.⁵ Even prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID...

Introduction

Abundant cross-sectional data indicate that alcohol use and related problems are accompanied by disruptions to sleep and circadian rhythms.¹ Alcohol's negative impacts on sleep are well established, especially in adults, and a smaller body of literature also reports alcohol's disruption of circadian rhythms.^2-4 Growing evidence supports sleep and circadian factors as influencing...

A Look Back

NIAAA’s 50th anniversary is truly a highlight in the history of public health. More than 5 decades ago, a group of researchers, advocates, and elected officials made a farsighted decision when they pushed for the creation of a federal institution dedicated to research that improves the lives of millions of Americans and their families devastated by alcohol misuse. As a result, on...

Introduction

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is prevalent worldwide, and the burden of heavy alcohol consumption has been increasing over time. An important complication of prolonged, heavy alcohol use is alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), which can progress from liver steatosis to fibrosis and cirrhosis and frequently involves alcohol-associated hepatitis. In particular, cirrhosis—the most severe...

Introduction

The word “alcohol” often conjures up positive feelings and associations with fun, socializing, relaxing, and partying. Yet there is another side to drinking alcohol, especially with risky, hazardous levels of consumption. This side is associated with distress and may include anxiety, loneliness, pain, and depressive symptoms.¹ This has been labeled the “dark side,” or “negative...

Introduction

According to national surveys, more than 85% of U.S. adults have consumed alcohol at some point in their lifetime, and about 70% did so in the last year.¹ Most individuals drink responsibly and without adverse effects. However, a substantial proportion of people misuse alcohol.^1,2 Drinking patterns associated with alcohol misuse include binge drinking, heavy drinking, and high...

Introduction

Endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids (eCBs), are bioactive lipid molecules that modulate signaling activity of several physiological processes involved in pain, appetite, energy balance, stress/anxiety, immune signaling, and learning and memory. Although understanding of the eCB system has grown in complexity since its discovery by Raphael Mechoulam, it is now widely known that...