The
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S.
National Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. It consists of 27 separate institutes and centers which includes the Office...
, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of
alcoholismAlcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences...
and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States and promotes reductions in the
per capitaPer capita is a term adapted from Latin phrase pro capite meaning "per head" with pro meaning "per" or "for each", and capite meaning "head." Both words together equate to the phrase "for each head."...
consumption of alcohol. NIAAA also provides leadership in the national effort to reduce the severe and sometimes fatal consequences of these problems.
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The
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S.
National Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. It consists of 27 separate institutes and centers which includes the Office...
, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of
alcoholismAlcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism is any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences...
and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States and promotes reductions in the
per capitaPer capita is a term adapted from Latin phrase pro capite meaning "per head" with pro meaning "per" or "for each", and capite meaning "head." Both words together equate to the phrase "for each head."...
consumption of alcohol. NIAAA also provides leadership in the national effort to reduce the severe and sometimes fatal consequences of these problems.
According to its
Mission StatementA mission statement is a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making...
, the
agencyA government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of types of agency...
provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by:
- Conducting and supporting research in a wide range of scientific areas including genetics
Genetics, , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding...
, neuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Such studies span the structure, function, evolutionary history, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, informatics, computational neuroscience and pathology of the nervous system.The International Brain Research...
, epidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, and serves as the foundation and logic of interventions made in the interest of public health and preventive medicine...
, health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption, prevention, and treatment
- Coordinating and collaborating with other research institutes and federal programs on alcohol-related issues
- Collaborating with international, national, state, and local institutions, organizations, agencies, and programs engaged in alcohol-related work
- Translating and disseminating research findings to health care providers, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
The Vision Statement of the agency is to support and promote the best science on alcohol and health for the benefit of all by:
- Increasing the understanding of normal and abnormal biological functions and behavior relating to alcohol use
- Improving the diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature of anything, either by process of elimination or other analytical methods...
, prevention, and treatment of alcohol use disorders
- Enhancing quality health care
NIAAA's research initiatives are:
- Basic Research on Medications Development for Alcohol-Use Disorders
- Genetic Studies of Vulnerability to Alcohol
- Mechanisms and Markers of Alcohol-Induced Organ Damage and Organ Protection
- Behavioral and Genetic Risk Factors for Alcoholism
- Long-term, Community-Based Prevention of Alcohol Problems at Specific Life Stages: Underage Populations and the Elderly
- Identifying the Neuroscientific Basis of Alcohol-Related Behaviors
- Multi-site, Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Women, HIV/AIDS, and Alcohol
- Disparities in Adverse and Beneficial Effects of Alcohol
- Advancing Behavioral Therapies for Alcoholism
Research
Among grants made by the NIAAA, $2.6 million has been allocated to research methods of reducing alcohol use among Chinese prostitutes in order to reduce HIV transmission.