It's a Brian Laird show on W.N. Y.C. good

It's a Brian Laire Show on WNYC.

Good morning again, everyone.

Alcohol overuse causes 140,000 American deaths

annually according to the National Institutes of Health.

That's more than drug overdoses, guns, or car accidents.

And while other substance use disorders

are considered public health problems, the alcohol industry is only growing.

It generated $260 billion in revenue in 2022, the last year for which stats are available.

That's according to Park Street, an alcohol industry consulting service.

For decades, alcohol use disorder has been seen as a type of moral failing, but new scientific consensus is forming around it being a brain disease.

And as a brain disease, medical professionals have started to see a range in alcohol overuse treatments. Viewing it that way can be helpful in treating it

especially with medication. Doctors rarely prescribe these medications however

only 2% of people with alcohol use disorder get medication

for it according to the stats that I've read.

Joining us now to discuss a recent reporting on alcohol use disorder and how it can be treated with medication

including Yes, Ozempeck is Rachel DeRose, editorial production coordinator at the Harvard Business

Review. She's a former Vox Future Perfect Fellow,

where she wrote an article titled Alcohol Overuse

causes 140,000 American deaths annually.

Why is it so under treated?

Rachel, welcome to WNYC.

...