National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Encyclopedia
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health
, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism
and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States and promotes reductions in the per capita
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 Statement
, the agency
provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by:
The Vision Statement of the agency is to support and promote the best science on alcohol and health for the benefit of all by:
NIAAA's research initiatives are:
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, supports and conducts biomedical and behavioral research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and alcohol-related problems. It funds approximately 90 percent of all such research in the United States and promotes reductions in the per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
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 Statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a 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 path, and guide decision-making...
, the agency
Government agency
A government or state 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 agency types...
provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by:
- Conducting and supporting research in a wide range of scientific areas including geneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, neuroscienceNeuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
, epidemiologyEpidemiologyEpidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
, 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 diagnosisDiagnosisDiagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
, 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