Alcohol Problems Affect 1 Out of 3 Americans

Is anybody really surprised by that? I'm sure some are shocked but I am not one of those people. abcnews.go.com reports research shows that 30.3 percent of the U.S. population has, at some time in their lives, had an alcohol use disorder. This does not mean that 30.3 percent of the population are alcoholic, but that many people have sufferred disruption in their lives to to their use of alcohol. 12.5 per cent could be diagnosed as alcohol dependent according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel (DSM) which is the bible of diagnostic criteria for both substance abuse and mental health disorders. I ask all to think about what that means to our society. What about the friends and family of these people? What about employers? What about the healthcare system. Stay tuned.