Alcohol Research Group

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  • The Center
    • About
          • ABOUT THE CENTER

            • History, Mission, & Focus
          • MEET THE DIRECTOR


            Senior Scientist, William (Bill) C. Kerr, PhD, is Director of ARG’s National Alcohol Research Center and Co-Directs the National Alcohol Survey and the Health Disparities projects.  Bill also serves as the scientific director at ARG and continues to lead R01 projects, including a grant to investigate secondhand harms from alcohol and other drugs.

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    • People
          • THE CENTER TEAM

            • Center Leadership
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          • MEET THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

            Senior Scientist Nina Mulia, DrPH, is Center Associate Director and Director of the Alcohol Services project. She specializes in and has published widely on race and ethnicity and socioeconomic disparities in heavy drinking, alcohol problems, and alcohol services utilization.

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    • Research
          • CENTER RESEARCH

            • Cores
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            • Affiliated Research
          • ASSESSING HID OVER THE LIFECOURSE

            This project, led by Camillia Lui, PhD, traces trends in harmful drinking patterns over a 40-year period, and identifies a range of alcohol-related precursors and problems through event-based and population-based approaches to inform early screening and interventions for high-risk groups.

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    • National Alcohol Surveys
          • ABOUT THE SURVEY

            • About the National Alcohol Survey
            • NAS Datasets
            • Get Access to the NAS data
          • MEET THE SURVEY CO-DIRECTOR

            Scientist and Deputy Scientific Director, Priscilla Martinez, oversees the survey design, data collection, and analyses.  In the latest cycle of the NAS, Priscilla conducted dried blood spot sampling to help better understand the relationship between how our immune systems work and what role they might play in how alcohol use can affect our mental health.

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  • Training Program
        • OVERVIEW

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        • APPLY NOW

          • Predoctoral Fellowship Application
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Recent Findings

Alcohol policies aimed at stopping pregnant women from drinking cause worse birth outcomes, increase public health costs

May 10, 2019 by

State-level alcohol/drug pregnancy policies lead to increased low birthweight and preterm births, costing millions of dollars per year A new study finds that several state-level policies targeting alcohol and drug use during pregnancy lead to greater numbers of low birthweight (LBW) and preterm births (PTB), resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars more in public health spending each year. The study—a collaboration between the  Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health … [Read more...]

Dried Blood Spot Sampling Finds Return Rates Differ by Race/Ethnicity and Education

March 19, 2019 by

New research is first to assess the use of dried blood spot collection in a large national study In the first study to assess the feasibility of obtaining a mail-in, dried blood spot (DBS) sample from large national surveys in the U.S., results showed return rates differed across racial/ethnic groups and educational attainment. Specifically, Blacks and Latinos, and people with a high school education or below were less likely to return a DBS sample than Whites and those with a college education … [Read more...]

Self-administered Intervention Reduces Alcohol Consumption among Women who are Risky Drinkers

March 18, 2019 by

Study shows efficacy of digital tool as a harm reduction strategy A new study from ARG Scientist Madhabika Nayak and colleagues found that women who were risky drinkers and completed an electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) program called DrinkWise significantly reduced their  weekly alcohol use and heavy alcohol use at the six-month follow up, compared to those who did not complete the program. This is the first non-intensive (single session), self-administered e-SBI in English … [Read more...]

People with AUD may be able to substitute cannabis for alcohol

March 4, 2019 by

 New study links moderate cannabis use to persistent alcohol problems; finds no association for heavier or lighter use People with a lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD) who used cannabis moderately had 2.83 times the number of drinks and experienced 6.82 times greater odds of alcohol-related harms than abstainers, according to a new study from ARG biostatistician and lead author Meenakshi Sabina Subbaraman and colleagues. Mid-level cannabis users also had an increased number of heavy … [Read more...]

Recent increases in alcohol consumption may be higher than previously reported

February 11, 2019 by

New study finds a more accurate way to measure per capita alcohol consumption that accounts for changes to how much alcohol is in beer, wine, and spirits The way we currently measure how much alcohol each person is consuming may be less accurate than previously thought, according to a new study from the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute. The study authors offer a new way to determine per capita alcohol consumption that accounts for changes to the alcohol content … [Read more...]

Violent Crime Linked to Liquor Stores

September 27, 2018 by

A 10% increase in access to alcohol outlets was significantly associated with a 4.2% rise in violent crime in Baltimore, MD, a new study from ARG postdoctoral fellow Pamela Trangenstein found. Trangenstein and her team from Johns Hopkins also assessed whether the type of outlet made a difference, with results showing that greater access to off-site outlets was associated with a 4.4% increase in violent crime compared to 3% for on-site. This is the first ecologic study in the U.S. to use spatial … [Read more...]

Stricter policies & alcohol-related injuries

June 27, 2018 by

Stricter policies linked to lower rates of alcohol-related injuries International study finds government restrictions on drinking curbs injuries despite alcohol use rates and patterns Emeryville, CA (June 27, 2018): Countries with stricter alcohol policies had lower rates of alcohol-related injuries, regardless of individual consumption rates and drinking patterns, and country-level drinking patterns, a new study from the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health … [Read more...]

Policies Tied to Worse Birth Outcomes

June 19, 2018 by

Policies targeting alcohol use during pregnancy tied to worse birth outcomes New study suggests even “supportive” policies lead women to delay or avoid prenatal care Emeryville, CA (June 18, 2018) – A majority of state-level policies targeting women’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy—even policies designed to support pregnant women—lead to more adverse birth outcomes and less prenatal care utilization, according to a new study from ARG and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health … [Read more...]

Cannabis Use up Slightly Post Legalization

June 15, 2018 by

New study finds only slight increase in cannabis use after legalization Residents of Washington State now seem more likely to report prior use A new retrospective assessment of cannabis use in Washington State by the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, found only a 1.2 percentage point increase in past year use after recreational marijuana was legalized, from 24.3% to 25.6%. The new findings published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs suggest that a … [Read more...]

Alcohol Treatment & Social Status

April 3, 2018 by

Undergoing alcohol treatment does little to improve social status Despite some improvement in the first year, a new study found no significant improvement in a person’s social status during the seven years after completing alcohol treatment. Social status in the years after completing treatment was worse for those who had ongoing alcohol problems or who also had drug or psychiatric problems. Social status was based on unemployment, incarceration, homelessness, and living in an impoverished … [Read more...]

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Latest News

January 2nd, 2026
Webinar Series: Overcoming Barriers to Opioid Treatment Research in Recovery Housing
December 31st, 2025
In the News: Scientist Priscilla Martinez Discusses the Unpublished Alcohol Intake and Health Study
December 29th, 2025
How People with Substance Use Disorder Can Benefit from Different Types of Support Groups
December 15th, 2025
How Neighborhoods and Culture Shape Alcohol Problems in Young Mexican Americans
November 15th, 2025
Exploring Links Between Substance Use Combinations and Mental Health Wellness in College Students

Recent Findings

December 15th, 2025
How Neighborhoods and Culture Shape Alcohol Problems in Young Mexican Americans
November 15th, 2025
Exploring Links Between Substance Use Combinations and Mental Health Wellness in College Students
April 2nd, 2025
New Study Reveals Why Alcohol Use Increased During the Pandemic
November 23rd, 2024
Data disaggregation reveals hidden suicide risk
November 21st, 2024
Millions of Americans Hurt By Others’ Drinking, Drug Use: Study

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About ARG

We are a non-profit research organization that seeks to improve public health through deepening our understanding of alcohol and other drug use and investigating innovative approaches to reduce its consequences for individuals, families, and communities.

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