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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Mission
The mission of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is to generate and disseminate fundamental knowledge about the adverse effects of alcohol on health and well-being, and apply that knowledge to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of alcohol-related problems, including alcohol use disorder (AUD), across the lifespan.
NIAAA provides leadership in the national effort to reduce alcohol-related problems by:
- Conducting and supporting alcohol-related research in a wide range of scientific areas including neuroscience and behavior, epidemiology andprevention, treatment and recovery, and metabolism and health effects.
- 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.
Important Events in NIAAA History
1970—The Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act was passed, establishing NIAAA as part of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Senator Harold E. Hughes of Iowa played a pivotal role in sponsoring the legislation, which recognized “alcohol abuse” and “alcoholism” as major public health problems.
1971—TFirst Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Healthwas issued in December, part of a series of triennial reports established to chart the progress made by alcohol research toward understanding, preventing, and treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
1974—NIAAA became an independent Institute within the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA), which also housed NIMH and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
1977—NIAAA organized the first national research workshop on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which reviewed the state of the research on FAS.
1980—NIAAA science and staff were instrumental to the development of theReport to the President and the Congress on Health Hazards Associated with Alcohol and Methods to Inform the General Public of these Hazards; this report influenced the following year’s publication of the.
1989—NIAAA launched the Collaborative Studies on Genetics of Alcoholism with the goal of identifying the specific genes underlying vulnerability to alcoholism as well as collecting clinical, neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and biochemical data, and establishing a repository of immortalized cell lines.
1991—NIAAA began the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, designed to study drinking practices, behaviors, and related problems.
1994—The medical success of disulfiram, a drug approved in 1951 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), spotlighted the effectiveness of pharmacological approaches for treating AUD. In 1994 and 2004, respectively, scientific evidence from NIAAA-supported studies helped achieve FDA approval of two new medications: naltrexone and acamprosate. NIAAA-supported studies also provided the foundation for the FDA’s more recent change in AUD clinical trial endpoints, opening the door for regulatory approval of a larger number of candidate AUD medications. In 2007, NIAAA established the NIAAA Clinical Investigations Group, a network of sites established to accelerate phase 2 clinical trials of promising compounds, and later expanded NCIG to include early human laboratory studies.
1995—NIAAA celebrated its 25th anniversary.
1996—NIAAA established the Mark Keller Honorary Lecture Series. The series pays tribute to Mark Keller, a pioneer in the field of alcohol research, and features a lecture each year by an outstanding alcohol researcher who has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of alcohol's effects on the body and mind.
1999—NIAAA organized the first National Alcohol Screening Day, created to provide public education, screening, and referral for treatment when indicated. The program was held at 1,717 sites across the United States, including 499 college sites.
NIAAA co-sponsored the launch ofThe Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a unique coalition of state governors' spouses, federal agencies, and public and private organizations that targets prevention of drinking in young people ages 9–15.
2001—NIAAA launched the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a representative sample of the U.S. population with data on alcohol and drug use; alcohol and drug abuse and dependence; and associated psychiatric and other co-occurring disorders.
2002—NIAAA published, which was developed by the Task Force of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as a comprehensive review of research on college drinking and the effectiveness of prevention programs.
2004—NIAAA established the by convening a steering committee of experts in adolescent development, child health, brain imaging, genetics, neuroscience, prevention research, and other research fields, with the goal of working towards a more complete and integrated scientific understanding of the environmental, biobehavioral, and genetic factors that promote initiation, maintenance, and acceleration of alcohol use among youth, framed within the context of human development.
2005—NIAAA publishedHelping Patients Who Drink Too Much: A Clinician's Guideto help primary care and mental health clinicians incorporate alcohol screening and intervention into their practices. The 2005 edition introduced a simple one-question screening tool that streamlined recommendations published in earlier NIAAA guides.
The Surgeon General released the, updated from the original advisory released in 1981. As with the 1981 report, NIAAA science contributed significantly to the development of this document, and NIAAA staff were instrumental in its crafting.
2007—NIAAA partnered with NIDA, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and HBO to produceAddiction, an Emmy-award winning documentary exploring alcohol and drug addiction, treatment, and recovery, and featuring interviews with medical researchers working to better understand and treat addictive disorders.
2008—The Acting Surgeon General of the United States issuedThe Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking. NIAAA’s Underage Drinking Research Initiative provided much of the scientific foundation for that document.
NIAAA published a special supplemental issue of the journalPediatrics, presenting a developmental framework for understanding and addressing underage drinking as a guide to future research, prevention, and treatment efforts. The research reflected in these articles contributed to the development of.
2009—NIAAA established the Jack Mendelson, M.D., Honorary Lecture Series. The series pays tribute to Dr. Mendelson’s contributions to the field of clinical alcohol research, and features a lecture each year by an outstanding alcohol researcher whose clinical research has made significant and long-term contributions to our understanding of susceptibility to alcohol use disorder (AUD), alcohol's effects on the brain and other organs, and the prevention and treatment of AUD.
NIAAA launched , a website and booklet, following extensive audience usability testing. These resources offer valuable, research-based information enabling people to take a look at their drinking patterns and how these patterns may be affecting their health.
2010—To celebrate NIAAA’s 40th anniversary, the Institute published a special double issue of its peer-reviewed journal,Alcohol Research & Health that describes the Institute’s public health impact and multidisciplinary contributions to alcohol research. Additionally, on October 4, 2010, the Institute hosted a special symposium recognizing the 40th anniversary, where, leaders in the field discussed the ways in which alcohol research has evolved over the past 40 years, as well as NIAAA's role in this progress.
2011—NIAAA released, Developed in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, clinical researchers, and health practitioners, the guide introduced a two-question screening tool and an innovative youth alcohol risk estimator to help clinicians overcome time constraints and other common barriers to youth alcohol screening.
2012—NIH announced the Trans-NIH Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction Functional Integration to enhance the NIH Institute and Center (IC) collaborations around this important scientific and public health topic. The Functional Integration is a collaborative framework that draws on the collaboration among the NIH ICs on substance use, abuse, and addiction-related research. NIAAA and NIDA have made significant progress toward integrating their intramural research programs in substance use, abuse, and addiction, including the appointment of a single Clinical Director for both Institutes and the establishment of a joint genetics intramural research program and a common optogenetics lab. By pooling resources and expertise, the Functional Integration will identify cross-cutting areas of research and confront challenges faced by multiple Institutes and Centers.
2013—NIAAA helped establish and participated in the NIH partnership, Collaborative Research on Addiction at NIH (CRAN). CRAN’s mission is to provide a strong collaborative framework to enable NIAAA, NIDA, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to integrate resources and expertise to advance substance use, abuse, and addiction research and public health outcomes. NIAAA helped launch to share funding opportunities and research resources readily with the public.
In addition, NIAAA developed and launched an online course for health care professionals to learn more about screening youth for alcohol problems. Doctors, nurses, psychologists, and others can take the online training to earn continuing medical education credits. The course, produced jointly with Medscape, shows providers how to conduct fast, evidence-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for patients ages 9–18. Since its launch in August, more than 5,000 health care professionals have earned credit for the course.
2015—NIAAA launched , a new resource to help schools address harmful and underage student drinking. In 2020, NIAAA published significant updates to the CollegeAIM website, updating resources and scientific evidence. NIAAA also added a clinician’s portal to the website, helping clinicians to feel more confident making patient referrals for AUD.
2016—NIAAA science and staff were instrumental to the development ofFacing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health.HBO Documentary Films premiered Risky Drinking, which follows the stories of four people whose drinking dramatically affects their relationships and their lives. This 85-minute film features commentary by experts including NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D., and NIAAA Medical Project Officer Deidra Roach, M.D.
2017—NIAAA issued theNIAAA Strategic Plan, 2017-2021.
NIAAA also launched the website to help adults find alcohol treatment for themselves or an adult loved one.
2018—CRAN, based on the need to understand how substance use and other experiences during adolescence influence development, established the , a large scale, long-term, longitudinal study. In 2018, the ABCD study successfully completed its baseline enrollment of 11,874 participants ages 9 to 10 and began follow-up assessments which will continue into adulthood.
2020—NIAAA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a range of events and promotional activities. These efforts culminated with a virtual 50th anniversary science symposium on November 30 and December 1, “Alcohol Across the Lifespan: 50 Years of Evidence-Based Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment Research.”Presentations spotlighted scientific milestones, the current state of the science, and future opportunities for alcohol research.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NIAAA developed a list of for the research community, healthcare professionals, and the general public regarding the potential for alcohol misuse, including information about telehealth for alcohol treatment. NIAAA also supported research on trends in alcohol use during the pandemic, and served as the lead institute for the on “Automatic Detection and Tracing of SARs-CoV-2” to support proof-of-concept research on automatic, real-time detection and tracing of SARS-COV-2.
2022—N help healthcare professionals provide evidence-based care for people who drink alcohol. Created with busy clinicians in mind, the HPCR provides concise, thorough information designed to help them integrate alcohol care into their practice.
2023—As part of its efforts to raise awareness of and combat underage drinking, NIAAA launched the web resources and , as well asa virtual reality and video experience,.
Legislative Chronology
December 31, 1970—NIAAA was established under authority of the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-616) with authority to develop and conduct comprehensive health, education, training, research, and planning programs for the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
May 14, 1974—P.L. 93-282 was passed, establishing NIAAA, NIMH, and NIDA as coequal institutes within the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA).
July 26, 1976—NIAAA's research authority was expanded to include behavioral and biomedical etiology of the social and economic consequences of alcohol abuse and alcoholism under authority of the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act amendments of 1976 (P.L. 94-371).
August 1981—The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (P.L. 97-35) was passed, transferring responsibility and funding for alcoholism treatment services to the states through the creation of an Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services block grant administered by ADAMHA and strengthening NIAAA's research mission.
October 27, 1986—A new Office for Substance Abuse Prevention in ADAMHA was created through the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-570), which consolidated the remainder of NIAAA's non-research prevention activities with those of NIDA and permitted NIAAA's total commitment to provide national stewardship to alcohol research.
July 10, 1992—NIAAA became a new NIH research institute under the ADAMHA Reorganization Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-321).
December 20, 2006—The Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (P.L. 109-422) was passed, requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to formally establish and enhance the efforts of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking that began operating in 2004.
December 13, 2016—The 21stCentury Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) was passed, requiring the Directors of NIAAA, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to serve as ex officio members of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Advisory Councils.It also called for increased collaboration between SAMHSA and NIAAA, NIDA, and the States to promote the study of substance abuse prevention and the dissemination and implementation of research findings that will improve the delivery and effectiveness of substance abuse prevention activities.Finally, it reauthorized the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act from 2018 through 2022.
Biographical Sketch of NIAAA Director George F. Koob, Ph.D.
George F. Koob, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert on alcohol and stress, and the neurobiology of alcohol and drug addiction. As the Director of the NIAAA, he provides leadership in the national effort to reduce the public health burden associated with alcohol misuse. He oversees a broad portfolio of alcohol research ranging from basic science to epidemiology, diagnostics, prevention, and treatment.
Dr. Koob earned his doctorate in Behavioral Physiology from Johns Hopkins University in 1972. Prior to taking the helm at NIAAA, he served as Professor and Chair of the Scripps’ Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders and Director of the Alcohol Research Center at the Scripps Research Institute.Early in his career, Dr. Koob conducted research in the Department of Neurophysiology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and in the Arthur Vining Davis Center for Behavioral Neurobiology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.He was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology and the MRC Neuropharmacology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Koob began his career investigating the neurobiology of emotion, particularly how the brain processes reward and stress. He subsequently applied basic research on emotions, including on the anatomical and neurochemical underpinnings of emotional function, to alcohol and drug addiction, significantly broadening knowledge of the adaptations within reward and stress neurocircuits that lead to addiction. This work has advanced our understanding of the physiological effects of alcohol and other substance use and why some people transition from use to misuse to addiction, while others do not. Dr. Koob has authored more than 650 peer-reviewed scientific papers and is a co-author ofThe Neurobiology of Addiction, a comprehensive textbook reviewing the most critical neurobiology of addiction research conducted over the past 50 years.
Dr. Koob is the recipient of many prestigious honors and awards for his research, mentorship, and international scientific collaboration. In 2018, Dr. Koob received the E.M. Jellinek Memorial Award for his outstanding contributions to understanding the behavioral course of addiction, In 2017, Dr. Koob was(NAM). In 2016, the government of France awarded Dr. Koob with the insignia offor developing scientific collaborations between France and the United States. [View the video:.]
In addition, Dr. Koob previously received the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) Seixas Award for extraordinary service in advancing alcohol research; the RSA Distinguished Investigator Award; the RSA Marlatt Mentorship Award; the Daniel Efron Award for excellence in basic research and the Axelrod Mentorship Award, both from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology; the NIAAA Mark Keller Award for his lifetime contributions to our understanding of the neurobiology of alcohol use disorder; and an international prize in the field of neuronal plasticity awarded by La Fondation Ipsen.
NIAAA Directors
| Name | In Office from | To |
|---|---|---|
| Morris E. Chafetz | 1972 | September 1, 1975 |
| Ernest P. Noble | February 1976 | April 1978 |
| Loran Archer (Acting) | April 1978 November 1981 January 1986 |
April 1979 July 1982 October 1986 |
| John R. DeLuca | May 1979 | October 1981 |
| William E. Mayer (Acting) | August 1982 | July 1983 |
| Robert G. Niven | August 1983 | December 1985 |
| Enoch Gordis | November 1986 | January 2002 |
| Raynard Kington (Acting) | January 2002 | November 2002 |
| Ting-Kai Li | November 2002 | October 2008 |
| Kenneth R. Warren (Acting) | November 2008 | January 2014 |
| George F. Koob | January 27, 2014 | Present |
Programs
NIAAA’s organizational chart is available.
NIAAA Offices manage administrative, policy and communications activities across the institute.
The Office of the Director leads the Institute by setting research and programmatic priorities and coordinating cross-cutting initiatives. The Office includes:
Office of Extramural Activities, Director: Dr. Philippe Marmillot (Acting)
The Office of Extramural Activities is responsible for extramural grant and contract review, the management of chartered initial review groups and special emphasis panels, and all grants management activities. OEA also manages the Committee Management Office—responsible for advisory council activities and nominations to advisory and review panels—and provides advice to the Institute's senior leadership on matters that concern FACA (Federal Advisory Committee Act) and non-FACA meetings.
, Director: Dr. Bridget Williams-Simmons
The goal of the Office of Science Policy and Communications (OSPC) is to give visibility to NIAAA-supported research and initiatives and to establish NIAAA as an authoritative source of evidence-based information on alcohol and health in support of the NIAAA mission. OSPC serves a broad range of stakeholders including NIH and NIAAA leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Congress, the research community, health professionals, advocacy organizations, the media, and patients and the public at large.
Office of Resource Management, Director: Ms. Vicki Buckley
The Office of Resource Management provides administrative management support to the Institute in the areas of financial management, grants and contracts management, administrative services, and personnel operations; (2) develops administrative management policies, procedures, guidelines, and operations; (3) maintains liaison with the management staff of the Office of the Director and implements within the Institute general management policies prescribed by NIH and higher authorities.
NIAAA’s Divisions manage the Institute’s intramural and extramural basic, translational, and clinical research.
, Scientific Director: Dr. David Lovinger; Clinical Director: Dr. David Goldman
The Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research seeks to understand the mechanisms by which alcohol produces intoxication, dependence, and damage to vital body organs, and to develop tools to prevent and treat those biochemical and behavioral processes.
, Director: Dr. Ralph Hingson
The Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Researchpromotes and supports applied, translational, and methodological research on the epidemiology and prevention of hazardous alcohol consumption and related behaviors, alcohol use disorder, alcohol-related mortality and morbidity, and other alcohol-related problems and consequences.
, Director: Dr. Kathy Jung
The Division of Metabolism and Health Effects develops scientific initiatives and supports basic and translational research on the health consequences of alcohol consumption and metabolism.
, Director: Dr. Antonio Noronha
The Division of Neuroscience and Behavior promotes research on ways in which neuronal and behavioral systems are influenced by genetic, developmental, and environmental factors in conjunction with alcohol exposure to engender alcohol use disorder.
, Director: Dr. Raye Z.Litten
The Division of Treatment and Recovery stimulates and supports research to identify and improve pharmacological and behavioral treatment for alcohol use disorder, enhance methods for sustaining recovery, and increase the use of evidence-based treatments in real-world practice.
For more information about NIAAA research programs, visit .
Communications and Outreach Activities
NIAAA hasseveral major web resourcesto disseminate unbiased science and health information to a range of audiences and stakeholders, whichinclude:
- )
NIAAA also uses social media outlets to share health information, the latest science discoveries, funding and training opportunities, events, and initiatives with broader, more diverse audiences.
- Twitter:
- Facebook:
- Instagram:
- YouTube:
NIAAA also plans events and other activities with a network of liaison organizations. These organizations include research and professional societies, advocacy groups, and other interested stakeholders.
This page last reviewed on March 28, 2024