The Hidden Epidemic of Alcohol Abuse: It’s Time For Doctors to Step Up

By: John Mendelson and Daisy Young

Alcohol abuse in the U.S. is increasing at an alarming rate without a corresponding increase in treatment. It’s time for doctors to step up.

Photo source: iStock Photo

The U.S. is currently in the grips of an invisible epidemic. While opioid addiction has been given much-deserved attention as of late, there is a growing health crisis which is far more common. Quite simply put, the epidemic of alcohol addiction is hidden in plain sight in way too many households across America.

It is time for health professionals nationwide to make a concerted effort to diagnose and treat alcohol use disorder (AUD).

How Serious Is the Problem of Alcohol Addiction?

As of 2015, more than 15 million Americans 18 and older were addicted to alcohol. An astonishing eighty-eight thousand people died from alcohol-related accidents and illnesses between 2006 and 2010. In contrast, 33 thousand died from opioid overdoses in 2015.

In fact, excessive alcohol use has become the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.