"Published data have demonstrated that alcohol use in the
Key findings from the survey include:
- Many survey respondents who met the criteria for heavy drinking said that, over the last 12 months, they experienced negative mental, physical and psychosocial impacts. Three in ten (30%) reported that they continued to drink despite it making them feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem. About one in four (24%) reported that they continued to drink after experiencing a memory blackout. More than one in five (22%) experienced withdrawal symptoms when the effects of alcohol were wearing off. And 23% gave up or cut back on activities that were important or interesting to them, or gave them pleasure, in order to drink.
- The majority of survey respondents who met the criteria for heavy drinking (87% of adults 21+) were not undergoing treatment at the time of the survey. Despite this, more than half of these respondents (53%) said that they were either very or somewhat motivated to seek treatment for their drinking. Among those who had never sought treatment, the most-commonly cited reasons for not doing so included preferring to handle it on their own (37%) and never thinking they had a problem with heavy drinking (37%).
- Awareness of the full range of treatment options for alcohol dependence was limited. About six in ten (62%) survey respondents who met the criteria for heavy drinking were aware of support groups or group therapy, such as
Alcoholics Anonymous or 12-step programs; just over half (56%) were aware of detox treatment options (to manage alcohol withdrawal symptoms) and residential rehabilitation treatment options; and only slightly more than a third (36%) were familiar with prescription medications as a treatment option for alcohol dependence. - Friends and family can play a role in influencing loved ones who drink heavily to seek help. Over half (56%) of survey respondents who met the criteria for heavy drinking said that someone had expressed concern to them about their drinking. Among this group, nearly four in five (79%) said that it was a family member who had expressed concern. Almost half (47%) of this group who had sought treatment said that a reason they did so was because their family had expressed concern about their drinking.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, I've observed an increase in alcohol consumption among my patients," said
* "Heavy drinking" for purposes of the survey was defined as having had two heavy drinking days in a single week at least twice in the previous 30 days. A "heavy drinking day" was defined for women as four or more drinks containing alcohol, and for men as five or more drinks containing alcohol.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within
About Alkermes
Alkermes plc is a fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the fields of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products focused on addiction, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of product candidates in development for neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com.
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