Heavy Drinking Among Adults Is Becoming a Problem

Public health experts have recently determined that public awareness on the issue of heavy drinking among adults is at appallingly low levels. This is a negative aspect in itself, but the irony of it is that most adults are too concerned about teen drinking to see what their peers are doing.

These conclusions belong to a new study, which was conducted at the national level by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Apparently, adult problem drinkers are mostly in denial about their habit.

A new report accompanying the survey says that authorities need to raise awareness on this issue. Experts suspect that this has been a problem for decades, except no one bothered to investigate it.

The new results are very relevant to the entire United States, experts say, as they come from a study applied to more than 67,500 individuals, above the age of 12. Those with an alcohol problem were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

Participants were checked for symptoms of either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. For this study, abuse is identified as the behavior that endangers the person performing the actions, as well as those around them.

Getting into legal trouble, experiencing difficulties in relationships and at the workplace, and the lack of interest in completing basic tasks at work, at home, or in school were also among the symptoms.

The study determined that an estimated 7.4 million adults are suffering from various forms of alcohol abuse disorder. Most of those in the group are aged between 21 and 64, but only 1.2 percent of them believe that professional therapies could help them, PsychCentral reports.

It's also worthy to note here that of the 6 million American citizens (in the same age group) that suffer from forms of alcohol dependency, only about 506,000 of them (about 7.8 percent) recognize that they have a problem, and that they could use professional help.

In the new study, experts identify strategies through which people can discover those who are in need of assistance. Methods of confronting heavy drinkers are listed as well, alongside the necessary steps that are needed in getting help.