Volume 15 Issue 1, Winter 2023

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a heterogeneous disorder, meaning individuals with AUD differ in their clinical symptoms and in the biological and psychological factors that contribute to their disorder. A better understanding of individual differences in AUD could inform the development of tailored treatment approaches to increase treatment effectiveness. New research from the University of New Mexico, the University of Washington, and Syracuse University published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors shows that assessing patients based on biological and psychological domains of addiction could

Spironolactone, a medication for heart problems and high blood pressure, may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to a new National Institutes of Health study. The study presents converging evidence from experiments in rodents, as well as electronic health data from humans, suggesting that spironolactone may play a role in reducing alcohol drinking. The research, published in Molecular Psychiatry, was led by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and Yale School of Medicine in

Alcohol misuse can lead to alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a form of liver disease with a high short-term mortality rate in severe cases. Currently, no medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat AH, and liver transplantation is often required due to liver failure. A better understanding of how AH develops could help improve AH treatment and prevent progression to severe disease.

In October, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Interagency Work Group on Drinking and Drug Use in Women and Girls (IWG) hosted the 2022 National Conference on Alcohol and Other Substance Use in Women and Girls: Advances in Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. More than 400 attendees participated in the two-day virtual conference, which featured plenary lectures by NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow, M.D., and National Institute of Mental Health Director Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D. Valerie A. Earnshaw

The figure above shows the number of alcohol-related deaths each month in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The annual total number of deaths increased 25% between 2019 and 2020 (from 78,927 to 99,017). The annual total number increased another 10% between 2020 and 2021 (from 99,017 to 108,891).