Alcohol Research Group

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    • About
          • ABOUT THE CENTER

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          • 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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          • THE CENTER TEAM

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          • MEET THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

            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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          • CENTER RESEARCH

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          • 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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news

Alcohol and Drug Use Cause Significant Harms that Go Beyond the Individual

June 3, 2024 by

Among study respondents, 34.2% experienced secondhand harms from alcohol, 5.5% from cannabis, 7.6% from opioids, and 8.3% from other drugs. Press Release: A new study estimates that over their lifetime, more than a third of U.S. adults or 113 million people are harmed from someone else’s drinking while 46 million experience harms from someone’s else’s drug use. The study, conducted by the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, in collaboration with RTI … [Read more...]

Closing Bars Early Reduced Homicides by 40% in One US Neighborhood

April 9, 2024 by

Reducing the hours bars and taverns could sell alcohol in a Baltimore neighborhood reduced all violent crime in the area annually by 23 percent, a study has found. Research by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the Alcohol Research Group of Emeryville, California, found that the number of murders dropped by 51 percent within the first month of the trial. The homicide rate fell by 40 percent annually, compared to similar low-income neighborhoods which had no change in … [Read more...]

Hidden differences: Intersectional study uncovers stark variations in substance use treatment completion

February 1, 2024 by

New research is the first to use an intersectional approach to examine differences in the completion of alcohol treatment, finds striking sex and race-based variations Emeryville, CA (February 1, 2024) Completion rates for alcohol treatment are significantly lower for racially and ethnically minoritized women compared to White men, according to a new study led by scientists at the Alcohol Research Group's (ARG) National Alcohol Research Center, a program of the Public Health Institute, in … [Read more...]

Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Younger Adults are Less Likely to Attend AA

January 30, 2024 by

AA attendance lower among African American, Hispanic and young populations By Amy Norton Alcoholics Anonymous has long been a cornerstone of treating alcohol use disorders in the United States. But even today, Americans are not accessing it equally, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, got its start nearly 90 years ago and is famous for spurring the "12-step" approach to recovery -- which includes acknowledging powerlessness … [Read more...]

You Could Be Drinking More Than You Think, Without Even Knowing

November 10, 2023 by

“There are a number of reasons why drinking shortens lifespans, and one is that we have lost track of what a “drink” actually is. Longstanding U.S. alcohol guidelines assume that a standard drink consists of just 0.6 ounce of alcohol. That is a 12-ounce beer with 5% alcohol, or a 5-ounce glass of wine with 12% alcohol. But over time, Americans are drinking larger and boozier beers and stronger wines, and getting heavy pours at bars, all of which deliver more alcohol than the standard … [Read more...]

New Study Reveals Disparities in At-Risk Drinking Among People with Diabetes, Cancer, or a Heart Condition

October 19, 2023 by

September 19, 2023 --New research published in The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, found that older non-Hispanic white adults with diabetes or a heart condition were less likely to engage in at-risk drinking than their counterparts without any of four major health conditions, including diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and heart conditions. However, among older Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian adults, at-risk drinking rates were similar between individuals living with and … [Read more...]

Defining recovery — as people in recovery see it

September 18, 2023 by

US study asks almost 10,000 people in recovery from substance use how they define recovery and identifies shared elements that may help support an addiction-free life Emeryville, CA (September 18, 2023) A new study found that when asking people in recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD) how they define recovery, over 90% agreed that recovery is comprised of four key elements: A process of growth and development; Being honest with myself; Taking responsibility for the things I … [Read more...]

BI: Some States Crack Down on Alcohol That Looks Like Juice

September 6, 2023 by

Two states are cracking down on alcoholic beverages that they say could be mistaken for juice, especially by parents looking for something suitable for their kids. Multiple beverage companies have introduced boozy versions of longstanding non-alcoholic drinks. Molson Coors worked with Coca-Cola last year to release Simply Spiked, a line of beverages that takes the fruit juice brand owned by Coke and adds alcohol. There's also SunnyD Vodka Seltzer, made by Harvest Hill Beverage Company and on … [Read more...]

New Study Shows Expansion of Medicaid Increases Alcohol Screenings and Highlights Need for Policies, Programs that Improves Patient Screenings

August 7, 2023 by

A new study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that people living in U.S. states with expanded Medicaid access are more likely to receive alcohol screening during primary care checkups than people living in states that did not expand Medicaid access. The study also revealed the need for improvements in alcohol screenings for patients who do receive Medicaid – for example, comprehensive, evidence-based screenings or brief counseling. Led by Aryn Phillips, PhD, an … [Read more...]

Cheryl Cherpitel Talks Winning the Jellinek, Her Ground-breaking Research, & Where it all Began

July 27, 2023 by

On a June evening in Johannesburg, colleagues and friends gathered at the annual meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society to celebrate and pay tribute to ARG Senior Scientist Cheryl Cherpitel. Cheryl was the recipient of the 2023 Jellinek Memorial Fund Award for outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge on alcohol/alcoholism in the category of epidemiology and population studies. The award recognizes Cheryl’s decades-long research in alcohol use and injury and her collaborations with, … [Read more...]

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Latest News

May 23rd, 2025
he Ripple Effect of Substance Use: How Alcohol and Drugs Harm Others
May 13th, 2025
Substance Use and Mental Health Risks Among U.S. College Students
May 2nd, 2025
The Long-Term Impact of Childhood Adversity on Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use
April 10th, 2025
Understanding Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicide Risk Among Youth
April 8th, 2025
How Flawed Science Could Shape U.S. Alcohol Guidelines

Recent Findings

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
September 4th, 2024
Alcohol Consumption Trends Across Disadvantaged Populations
June 4th, 2024
Socioeconomic status may determine how alcohol affects heart health

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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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