Almost one-third of adults report having some form of alcohol use problem during their lifetime

According to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, roughly 30 percent of Americans report having some form of alcohol use disorder at some point in their lifetimes, including 17.8 percent with alcohol abuse and 12.5 percent with alcohol dependence.

Of those who had alcohol dependence during their lifetimes, only 24.1 percent ever received treatment, and 12.1 percent of those with alcohol dependence during the previous year received treatment during that time. The average age at which patients first received treatment for dependence was 29.8 years—eight years later than the average age at which they developed the condition. In addition, treatment rates are slightly lower than those found 10 years earlier, where 23.5 percent of those with lifetime dependence and 13.8 percent of those with dependence in the previous 12 months sought treatment.

It is almost certain that if you yourself do not have issues with alcohol at some point in your life then someone you are very close to will. Unfortunately the odds are that they won't seek treatment or if they do it won't be for several years until after they develop the condition. If you are able to shorten this time period (for them or yourself if it is you with the problem) you will be doing more than you can imagine for their (or your) long-term well-being.

Source: JAMA press release via EurekAlert