EDITORIAL

Editorial on Alcoholism

Editorial on Alcoholism

Editorial

Alcoholism

Among the U.S. working-age population, an estimated 24.5 million meet the criteria for alcohol dependence, and lifetime prevalence rates among adults are between 14 percent and 24 percent. Generally speaking, rates of alcoholism decline as age increases. With respect to sex, alcoholism is at least twice as prevalent in males as females. Alcoholism is somewhat more prevalent among those of lower socioeconomic status groups and those with lower levels of educational attainment. That is, as income and education level increase, the likelihood of alcoholism decreases. Finally, with regard to race, research consistently finds higher levels ...