30 Percent Of Americans Will Deal With A Drinking Problem At Some Point In Their Lives

New findings published in JAMA Psychiatry confirm that nearly 33 million adults in the U.S. may be suffering from "alcohol use disorder."

Caucasian and Native American males were most affected, with low-income adults under the age of 30 at higher risk, in general. However, having a stable lifetime partner seemed to help lower the risk.

"The problem of alcohol abuse is bigger than people thought," said NIAAA Director George Koob. "Alcohol disorders cost the United States $224 billion a year. Seventy percent of Americans drink and most don't have a problem, but there is a significant group that do have a problem."

Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism asked participants about their lifetime drinking habits during 2012 or 2013. Findings revealed that 14 percent of adults were current or recent problem drinks and 30 percent also had been at some point in their lives. Mild drinking issues seemed to be the most prevalent, while only 14 percent of the sample had never experienced severe issues with drinking.

More disturbingly, nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said they had engaged in binge drinking--or consuming five drinks in a day, at least once in the past year; the number is up from 31 percent seen in an earlier survey.

Despite these issues, many seem to struggle admitting they have a problem or getting help for this issue.

"Treatments range from Alcoholics Anonymous to behavioral therapy and medications," Koob concluded. "These medications have been out there for a long time. Unfortunately, they (Naltrexone and Acamprosate) are not prescribed that much."

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