According to a study, almost 33 million adults already suffer from alcohol problems in the US, but most of them don’t seek help. The study was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

The study tells the difference between healthy and problem drinking in people. People who indulge in heavy drinking experience at least two symptoms out of 11 that have been mentioned. These symptoms may include heavy drinking that adversely affects performance in school, job and home in addition to frequent hangovers; one is also not able to limit drinking. These symptoms indicate levels of severity of the condition.

Researchers carried out a survey on 36,000 adults in 2012-13, in which they observed their drinking life that also includes the present time in addition to last year. The survey found that 14% of the adults, or roughly 33 million, have problems related to their drinking whereas over 30% or 69 million have issues at some point and others have mild drinking problems.

According to authors of the study, “Most importantly, this study highlighted the urgency of educating the public and policy makers about alcohol use disorder and its treatments, destigmatizing the disorder, and encouraging among those who cannot reduce their alcohol consumption on their own, to seek treatment”.

Alcohol drinking population in the US includes the whites and the natives. If heavy drinking is continued for a year, it could cause anemia, cancer, cirrhosis, heart diseases, gout, dementia, nerve damage and many other problems.