What is the impact of alcohol misuse?
Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States and the eighth leading cause of death overall.
Alcohol dependence is most common in men, ages 18-24 years old, and those with low income.
The prevalence of alcohol use disorder has increased from 8.5% to 12.7% in the past decade and 26.2% of adults binge drank in the past month.
Clinicians are not screening for alcohol misuse.
Only 13% of primary care patients are screened with a standard instrument and only 6.7% of adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) receive treatment.
The majority of Americans engage in some use of alcohol.
About 23% of the US population engages in risky alcohol use; about 4% have alcohol dependence, and 5% have alcohol abuse.
Alcohol use and AUD coincide with other diseases and cause downstream effects.
Specifically, AUD is associated with depression, anxiety and panic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD. Additionally, there are many common infections associated with AUD including sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, HIV, aspiration pneumonia, and infestations (scabies).
Alcohol causes liver disease, neurologic damage, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Fully, 3.2 - 3.7% of cancer deaths are due to alcohol use, primarily breast, head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers.
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