Meeting the Grand Challenge of Reducing Alcohol Misuse and Its Consequences: A Roundtable Discussion

In 2016 the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare launched its Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research. This roundtable discussion addresses the challenge of reducing or eliminating alcohol misuse and its consequences (under the Grand Challenge initiative “Closing the Health Gap”). Alcohol misuse is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and around the world. Alcohol-related causes are the third major cause of preventable deaths in the United States, resulting in nearly 88,000 deaths per year from causes such as traffic fatalities and accidental injuries, as well as other serious health problems. Additional consequences of alcohol misuse important to the social work profession are related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; sexual assaults, domestic violence, child neglect/maltreatment, and other forms of family, interpersonal, and community violence; family dysfunction; impaired job and school performance accompanied by economic, housing, and food insecurity; and, legal complications . Alcohol misuse results in costs of nearly $224 billion each year in the U.S. alone. In 2013, 16.6 million adults aged 18 and older had a diagnosable alcohol use disorder (AUD), but only 7.8% of them received any specialty AUD treatment. Of the 697,000 youth aged 12-17 with an AUD, only 10% received any specialty AUD treatment.

Despite the formidable task, social workers and other professionals are making progress in reducing alcohol misuse and its consequences using a variety of strategies. The two aims of this roundtable are: (1) to assess the current status and strategies related to reducing or eliminating alcohol misuse and its consequences across the lifespan, and (2) stimulate discussion about how social work and allied disciplines can make forward research and intervention movement toward achieving the goals of this challenge.

Following an introduction to the challenge itself, each of five invited presenters will succinctly address: (1) the current state of alcohol misuse and its consequences among one of five age groups (i.e., fetal exposure, children with parents who misuse alcohol, adolescents and emerging adults, adults, and older adults), (2) innovative, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary strategies being used to reduce alcohol use and its consequences for that group, (3) the types of research and research methods that are or could be moving us forward, (4) the evidence that informs us about and predicts the effectiveness of these approaches, and (5) what is necessary to take these strategies to scale to make a significant impact on the challenge. The roundtable will include topics from the biobehavioral to global policy levels of influence. Those attending the roundtable will be encouraged to share their own work and ideas. The roundtable will conclude with a discussion for strategizing about how we as social workers and our colleagues from other disciplines can further respond to the challenge of reducing alcohol misuse and its consequences. Discussants will be invited from among the SSWR special interest group on addictive behaviors and substance misuse and from relevant federal agencies and national policy and research institutes.