Native Americans at high risk of alcohol dependence

Thursday, July 5, 2007  

Native Americans have a 40 percent greater risk for alcohol dependence than whites, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Based on the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, Native Americans and whites were more likely than other ethnic groups to report drinking problems. About 2 percent of survey respondents were Native American.

More than 30 percent of all Americans have abused alcohol or suffered from alcoholism at some point in their lives but few received treatment, according to the results of the survey, which were published in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Get the Story:
Americans Drinking More and Seeking Treatment Less (MedPage Today 7/4)
Alcohol abusers not seeking help (Newsday 7/5)

$rl National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - http://www.niaaa.nih.gov