News & Events

Michele Cohen Marill--WIRED AS OCTOBER USHERS in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the social media campaign Drink Less for Your Breasts stands out like a red flag against a cheerful tide of pink ribbons, especially the ones printed on labels of alcoholic beverages. This is the time of year when some craft brewers tint their beer pink, and rosé bottles and cocktail menus display the iconic ribbon, touting companies’ donations to breast cancer organizations. Drink Less for Your Breasts … [Read more...]

When data from the National Alcohol Survey (NAS) are released, our scientists update the drinking norms for the US. The most recent data from the 2020 NAS draw on the drinking patterns of individuals residing in 50 states and Washington, DC and look at the number of drinks both women and men said they consumed per week on average in the previous 12 months. As a practitioner, one way to assess your clients' drinking habits is to have them compare their current consumption level to how much the … [Read more...]

As part of a series of public talks recorded for the 44th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA), ARG scientific director and senior scientist Thomas K. Greenfield, PhD speaks about alcohol policies that are most effective in reducing alcohol-related harms, identifies challenges, and discusses ways to assess the policy environment: Support for this presentation was provided by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) at the National … [Read more...]

How to Research, Design & Disseminate a Social Media Health Campaign Despite over thirty-years of research, 75% of  American women are unaware that consuming alcohol, even at low levels, increases their risk of breast cancer. To address this gap, we developed and implemented a social media campaign—#drinklessforyourbreasts—to let young California women know that drinking can lead to breast cancer.  In this webinar you will learn about alcohol use and breast cancer risk among young women, … [Read more...]

Two current ARG studies received NIAAA supplemental awards to look at how the pandemic has impacted our lives. The first is a supplement to our National Alcohol Research Center which will follow up on the latest U.S. National Alcohol Survey. Beginning in January 2021, we will be asking people about their experiences during the pandemic — from changes in economic status to their mental health and well-being and especially their drinking and other drug use. We will also determine how the pandemic … [Read more...]

First of its kind, the National Study of Treatment and Addiction Recovery Residences (NSTARR) was launched last year to identify the gaps in recovery housing research and provide a complete picture of the recovery residence landscape across all 50 states. Recently, the project received a supplemental award to look at how recovery residences are dealing with the effects of COVID-19. To learn more about the project and its impact, we spoke with principal investigator and ARG scientist Amy … [Read more...]

  A new project, led by scientist Priscilla Martinez, and in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, aims to better inform young women about the link between drinking and risk of breast cancer. Through the development and distribution of an educational campaign, the project will promote a greater understanding among young women about their own drinking and how it impacts their health so they can make more informed choices. Alcohol use is the … [Read more...]

This new study is  focused on understanding barriers that contribute to Latino- White disparities in the use of specialty alcohol treatment. Underutilization by Latinos, the largest and fastest growing minority racial/ethnic group, is troublesome given that these services have been shown to be effective regardless of race/ethnicity. Findings will address gaps in the understanding of barriers that prevent people from seeking and receiving appropriate care for alcohol use disorders and will … [Read more...]

This new grant, headed by Bright Outcome and funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), will develop an almost-automatic process to help alcohol researchers meet the requirements of the new NIAAA data-sharing policy. ARG will provide expertise and knowledge about data collection to better inform the project. The NIAAA data-sharing agreement requires that all NIAAA grant applications involving human subjects must include plans for the submission of study data … [Read more...]

For most of her career, scientist Amy Mericle, PhD, has worked in treatment and recovery research, including recovery housing. Her latest project, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), aims to develop and provide a complete picture of the national recovery housing landscape in the US, which will help better understand how this model effectively supports a person's recovery from addiction. The four-year study will gather information on the availability … [Read more...]