The most recent prevalence data for alcohol addiction among US ethnic groups have come from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a study sponsored by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) that has interviewed a nationally representative sample of adults (18+ years of age) at three time points: between 2001–2002 on 43,090 individuals (Wave I), in 2004–2005 in a replication study on 35,653 of the original Wave I participants (Wave II), and in 2012–2013 on an additional 36,309 adults (Wave III). NESARC publications have primarily reported racial/ethnic results stratified into five groups: Asian (including Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander), Black, Hispanic, Native American (American Indian and Alaska Native), and White. In the total sample of NESARC-III, past-year and lifetime prevalence of DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD) were 13.9% and 29.1%, respectively, and past-year and lifetime DSM-IV AUDs (abuse or dependence) were 12.7% and 43.6%, respectively9. These numbers indicate an increase in DSM-IV AUDs from those found in NESARC-I of 8.5% and 30.3%, respectively, which is consistent with increased rates of heavy alcohol
