One-third of adults report some form of alcohol abuse

About 30 per cent of people have reported some form of alcohol use disorder at some point in their life, including 17.8 per cent who abuse alcohol and 12.5 per cent who are alcohol-dependent, according to a new US study. In the study, doctors analysed data from interviews conducted between 2001 and 2002 with 43,093 adults selected to represent the national population. Interviewers asked about all symptoms of alcohol abuse and dependence listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). {openx:269} A diagnosis of alcohol abuse required one or more of the criteria for abuse,…