Alcoholism on the rise

Web MD - Bridget Grant, of the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and colleagues found that the rate of alcohol use in the United States was 65 percent in 2001-2002. By 2012-2013, it was nearly 73 percent.

The rate of high-risk drinking was about 10 percent (20 million people) in 2001-2002. But by 2012-2013, the rate was nearly 13 percent (almost 30 million people).

In the study, high-risk drinking was defined as four or more standard drinks on any day for women, and five or more standard drinks on any day for men. To qualify as high-risk drinking, however, those daily drinking totals need to have occurred at least weekly during the past 12 months.