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Patients with alcohol dependence who are seen in hospitals and clinics have frequent relapses. Interviews with 43,000 U.S. adults in a nationally representative sample provide new information on the usual course of alcohol use disorders.
The prevalence of past-year alcohol use disorders was 4.7% for abuse and 3.8% for dependence; 17.8% and 12.5% had lifetime abuse or dependence, respectively. Of those with lifetime alcohol dependence, only 24% reported ever receiving alcohol treatment, even when defined broadly to include 12-step programs, emergency departments, clergy, and other professionals. The mean age of onset of an alcohol use disorder was 22. Among those with lifetime abuse or dependence, 72% reported one episode; those with more tha…