In the spirit of the weekend, some interesting news on the state of national tippling:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More Americans are abusing alcohol than in the 1990s, but fewer are technically alcoholics, U.S. government researchers. They found that the number of American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent rose to 17.6 million or 8.46 percent of the population in 2001-2002 from 13.8 million or 7.41 percent of the population in 1991-1992.

"The fact that alcohol disorder rates are highest among young adults underscores the need for concerted research on drinking patterns that initiate in adolescence," said Dr. Ting-Kai Li, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one of the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers cannot say why heavy drinking is up. The NIAAA study defines alcohol abuse as causing a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home; interpersonal social and legal problems; and/or drinking in hazardous situations. Across the decade, the rate of alcohol abuse increased to 4.65 percent of the general population from 3.03 percent, while the rate of alcoholism fell to 3.81 percent of the general population from 4.38 percent, Li's team reported in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Bridget Grant, who led the study [said], "That alcohol abuse seems to be increasing presents intriguing questions. What is clear is that no single environmental cause can explain the increase. Further research is an important public health priority."

Perhaps today's drinkers have higher tolerance levels than some years ago, or they are fudging their answers regarding dependency? Or, provocatively, since today's young adults are not considered "adult" until age 26, perhaps those with fewer responsibilities have less trouble fulfilling them when they drink heavily?

All speculation, of course. Reminds me of those old T-shirts that read, "I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. NO PROBLEM!"

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