Alcohol Research Group

  • Research
    • Overview
    • Disparities
    • Environment
    • Epidemiology
    • Health
    • International
    • Methodology
    • Policy
    • Treatment & Recovery
    • Intervention Trials
  • 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.

            Learn more

    • People
          • THE CENTER TEAM

            • Center Leadership
            • Scientific Advisory Board
            • Research Partners
          • 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.

            Learn more 

    • Research
          • CENTER RESEARCH

            • Cores
            • Research Projects
            • 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.

            Learn more

    • 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.

            Learn more

  • Training Program
        • OVERVIEW

          • About the Training Program
          • Predoctoral Fellowship
          • Postdoctoral Fellowship
          • Seminars
        • APPLY NOW

          • Predoctoral Fellowship Application
          • Postdoctoral Fellowship Application
        • TRAINING STAFF

          • Faculty & Mentors
          • Current Fellows
  • Impacts
    • New Findings
    • In the News
    • Press Release
    • Publications
  • Data & Resources
    • Datasets
  • About
    • History
    • Mission, Vision, Values & Goals
    • Governance
    • Staff
    • Library
    • Employment
    • Support ARG
  • Donate

news

Availability of alcohol soared during the first year of the pandemic

May 11, 2023 by

Press Release: May 11, 2023 During the first year of the pandemic, the number of people who live in a state that allowed bars and/or restaurants to deliver alcohol rose by 284%. This increase was more dramatic for to-go sales, climbing by 627%, according to a new study from researchers at the Alcohol Research Group, a program of the Public Health Institute, and RTI International. Researchers combined state policy data with survey data on alcohol purchases during the pandemic. This enabled … [Read more...]

Congratulations to ARG’s New Scientific Leadership Team

May 2, 2023 by

It is my pleasure to introduce the incoming Scientific Director William (Bill) C. Kerr who has been elected to the position following my retirement from the role. An economist by training, with a doctoral dissertation on Addiction, Quality Choice, and the Demand for Alcohol from University of California, Davis, Bill was recruited to ARG in 2008 after working with Kaye Fillmore’s longitudinal analysis team at the University of California, San Francisco. From the beginning, Bill led Center … [Read more...]

ARG Scientific Director Steps Down, Leaves Behind a Lasting Legacy

April 28, 2023 by

After 15 years of dedicated service, Thomas (Tom) K. Greenfield, PhD, is stepping down as ARG’s scientific director. Tom will continue as a senior scientist and co-director of the High Intensity Drinking Research Project and the Statistical & Data Services Core in the National Alcohol Research Center. Tom joined our organization in 1992, and in 1999 became director of the Center, overseeing its projects, components, and resubmissions. He held that position until 2015. In 2008, he was … [Read more...]

COVID-19 study finds striking differences in access to health care during the pandemic

April 1, 2023 by

US national study reveals disparities in general and behavioral health care receipt, suggests telehealth is a vital bridge to care for traditionally underserved groups during the pandemic A new study published today in Preventive Medicine found that, during the first year of the pandemic, Hispanic/Latinx individuals and lower-income individuals were less likely to receive needed health care when compared to White individuals and people with higher incomes. Led by researchers at the Alcohol … [Read more...]

Effects of Medicaid expansion on alcohol and opioid treatment admissions in racial and ethnic groups

January 10, 2023 by

Recognizing that excessive drinking is a leading cause of preventable death in the US and that US opioid mortality rates have risen dramatically in recent decades, the US Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion sought to increase Americans’ health insurance coverage and access to substance use treatment services. Whether or not these landmark policies benefitted diverse population subgroups is an important public health question.  A study, led by Senior Scientist Nina Mulia, examined the … [Read more...]

Project Update: Smoke-free Policy Adoption at Community Colleges

December 15, 2022 by

In California, only 52 of the 114 community college campuses are smoke-free or tobacco-free—a stark contrast to California’s four-year public colleges which are all tobacco-free. In response to this disparity, an ARG research team, led by Scientist Camillia K. Lui, conducted a mixed-method study that examined both campus and community influences on smoke-free policy adoption at community colleges. The team analyzed tobacco control policy databases, school administrative records, survey data, … [Read more...]

Recovery Housing Project Produces & Makes Available U.S. State-Level Reports

November 9, 2022 by

The National Study of Treatment and Addiction Recovery Residences (NSTARR) project is the largest and most diverse study of recovery housing to date. Data from across the U.S. were gathered and analyzed to develop the first comprehensive database and assessment of the recovery residence landscape. As part of the assessment, the study team, led by Scientist and project PI Amy Mericle, created individual state-level reports which provide a snapshot of the number and location of recovery residences … [Read more...]

Study reveals differences in alcohol screenings, resulting in missed opportunities for treatment

September 8, 2022 by

Race, ethnicity, education and insurance status can determine the quality of alcohol screenings and care Emeryville, CA (September 8, 2022) – Some racial and ethnic groups are not receiving adequate screening for alcohol use in clinical settings, according to a new study from the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health Institute, in collaboration with RTI International. Published today in Preventive Medicine Reports, the study looked at predictors such as sex, age, race and … [Read more...]

ARG Receives T32 Grant to Continue Long-Established Training Program

August 4, 2022 by

It was 1971, a year after Nixon signed the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) was established that ARG received its first T32 training grant, beginning its longstanding dedication to train and support the next generation of alcohol researchers. Six years later, ARG established an NIAAA National Alcohol Research Center and in conjunction, its second T32 program. Since that … [Read more...]

COVID-19 Study Finds More Drinking, but Fewer Drinkers

June 26, 2022 by

US national study compares alcohol consumption before COVID-19 to after and finds significant changes in who is drinking and how much Emeryville, CA (June 26, 2022) — A new study published today in the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that alcohol consumption patterns changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when compared to the pre-pandemic period.  While the proportions of the population that was drinking and drinking with a risky pattern declined, … [Read more...]

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • …
  • 20
  • Next Page »

Latest News

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
April 2nd, 2025
New Study Reveals Why Alcohol Use Increased During the Pandemic
March 18th, 2025
When Health and Alcohol Mix: Insights on High-Risk Drinking

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

Newsletter Sign-up

Who We Are

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.

  • Land Acknowledgement
  • History
  • Leadership
  • Staff
  • Job Opportunities
  • Accessibility Policy

What We Do

  • Mission, Vision, Values
  • Research Overview
  • National Alcohol Research Center
  • Methodology
  • Training

Newsroom

  • Access Our Data
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
  • Get in Touch

Connect with Us

Social

© 2025 Alcohol Research Group. Website Design and Development by HyperArts