Alcohol consumption ranges from infrequent intake of alcoholic beverages, through more frequent and heavy episodic drinking (e.g., bingeing), to drinking at problematic levels that are potentially indicative of alcohol use disorders (AUD). While there is considerable debate surrounding the putative benefits of moderate drinking (Stockwell et al., 2016; Wood et al., 2018), excessive alcohol consumption has been unequivocally identified as one of the top 10 contributors to worldwide morbidity and mortality (World Health Organization, 2014). Excessive alcohol consumption can escalate to AUD diagnosis when accompanied by other psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms, such as loss of control over drinking, tolerance, withdrawal and persistent drinking despite health problems (Wise & Koob, 2014). It is estimated that AUD attributable costs approximate 1% of the gross domestic product of developed nations (Rehm et al., 2009).
