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Distilled Spirits Council rejects claims alcohol abuse is rising

The Distilled Spirits Council has hit out at a report published this week claiming alcohol abuse is on the rise in the US, arguing that there is actually a decline in alcohol use disorders.

Distilled Spirits Council claims alcohol dependency is not on the rise in the US

Earlier this week, JAMA Psychiatry published a report claiming alcohol dependency and alcohol-related disorders are a “public health crisis” in the US, after a study suggested high-risk drinking among adults rose almost 30% over an 11-year period.

The study also suggested that women, racial/ethnic minorities, older adults and those with lower educational levels and family incomes showed the greatest levels of alcohol use disorders.

However, the Distilled Spirits Council argued that the findings do not match up with the results of the government-lead National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

“While any amount of alcohol abuse is too much, the claims published in JAMA Psychiatry do not comport with findings of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the federal government’s leading survey that tracks substance use disorders,” commented Dr Sam Zakhari, Distilled Spirits Council senior vice president and former division director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. “The NSDUH shows a decline in alcohol use disorders among all age groups.”

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