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Medically reviewed by Danesh Alam MD, DFAPA, DFASAM
Alcohol Awareness Month is every April. It is a national observance, started by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in 1987, that asks people to take an honest look at their own drinking, learn the signs of alcohol use disorder, and help someone they care about find treatment. Everything below works in any month.
The most useful steps are simple: check your drinking with a free federal tool, consider 30 days without alcohol, and plan one calm conversation with someone you are worried about. If you drink heavily every day, talk to a doctor before you stop.
When is Alcohol Awareness Month?
Alcohol Awareness Month runs from April 1 to April 30 every year. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) describes it as a chance to learn about alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the harm alcohol misuse does to health and society. Source: NIAAA, April is Alcohol Awareness Month. SAMHSA calls it "a time to raise awareness and understanding of alcohol use and misuse," and publishes a free toolkit for schools, families, and community groups. Source: SAMHSA, Alcohol Awareness Month
Who started Alcohol Awareness Month?
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) started it. A 2002 CDC report noted that NCADD had designated that April as the 16th annual Alcohol Awareness Month, working with CDC and other federal agencies, which places the first observance in 1987. Source: CDC MMWR, Alcohol Awareness Month, April 2002. Today, NIAAA and SAMHSA both promote it with free materials.
Why does Alcohol Awareness Month matter?
It matters because the toll from alcohol is large and the treatment gap is wide.
- Deaths. Excessive drinking caused about 178,000 deaths a year in the United States in 2020 and 2021, more than 488 a day, and cut those lives short by an average of 24 years. Source: CDC, Facts about U.S. deaths from excessive alcohol use. That is about 5 percent of all U.S. deaths, and it is the most recent estimate from CDC's Alcohol-Related Disease Impact tool, released in 2024. The leading causes were liver disease, heart disease and stroke, alcohol poisoning, accidents, and cancer. Source: NIAAA, Alcohol-related emergencies and deaths in the United States
- Alcohol use disorder. In 2025, 25.7 million people ages 12 and older, or 8.9 percent, had alcohol use disorder in the past year. That is down from 10.6 percent in 2021. Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health release
- The treatment gap. Only 2.6 percent of people with alcohol use disorder in 2025 received a medication for it, even though three are approved in the United States. Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health release; Source: NIAAA, Treatment for alcohol problems. Our guide to medication for alcohol use disorder explains how they work.
What did the Surgeon General say about alcohol and cancer?
In 2025, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory naming alcohol the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity. Key findings:
- Alcohol contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. each year.
- It causes at least seven types of cancer: breast (in women), colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, throat, and voice box.
- "The more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk of cancer." For breast, mouth, and throat cancers, risk may start to rise at about one drink a day or less.
- Fewer than half of U.S. adults know alcohol raises cancer risk.
The advisory called for a cancer warning on alcohol labels and urged people to weigh cancer risk "when considering whether or how much to drink." Source: U.S. Surgeon General, Alcohol and Cancer Risk advisory. For how alcohol affects estrogen and other hormones linked to breast cancer, see our article on alcohol and hormones.
How much alcohol is OK to drink?
The current federal guidance gives no "safe" daily number. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025 to 2030, advise people to "consume less alcohol for better overall health." Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030
Earlier guidelines (2020 to 2025) defined moderate drinking as up to one drink a day for women and two for men. Source: CDC, Moderate alcohol use. The Surgeon General found that about 17 percent of alcohol-related cancer deaths happen at drinking levels within those older limits. Source: U.S. Surgeon General, Alcohol and Cancer Risk advisory
The 2025 to 2030 guidelines say some people should avoid alcohol completely: anyone who is pregnant, anyone recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control how much they drink, and anyone taking medicines or living with health conditions that interact with alcohol. People with a family history of alcoholism should be mindful of how much they drink. Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030
How can I check my own drinking?
Start with NIAAA's free Rethinking Drinking site. It shows how your drinking pattern compares with health risks, lists the symptoms of alcohol use disorder, and gives calculators and tips for cutting back. Source: NIAAA, Rethinking Drinking
Count in standard drinks, since a pour at home is often bigger than one drink. In the U.S., one standard drink has 14 grams of pure alcohol: 12 ounces of regular beer (about 5 percent alcohol), 5 ounces of table wine (about 12 percent), or a 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits (about 40 percent). A hard seltzer or malt drink at about 7 percent alcohol counts as one drink at 8 to 10 ounces. Source: NIAAA Rethinking Drinking, What's a standard drink?
Two patterns raise risk sharply:
- Binge drinking: usually five or more drinks for men, or four or more for women, in about two hours.
- Heavy drinking: for men, five or more drinks on any day or 15 or more a week. For women, four or more on any day or eight or more a week.
Source: NIAAA, Understanding alcohol drinking patterns
What are the signs of alcohol use disorder?
Alcohol use disorder is diagnosed when someone has at least 2 of 11 symptoms in the past year. NIAAA turns the DSM-5 criteria into questions. In the past year, have you:
- Ended up drinking more, or longer, than you meant to?
- Wanted to cut down or stop, or tried to, but couldn't?
- Spent a lot of time drinking, being sick from it, or getting over it?
- Wanted a drink so badly you couldn't think of anything else?
- Found that drinking, or being sick from it, got in the way of home, family, work, or school?
- Kept drinking even though it caused trouble with family or friends?
- Given up activities you cared about so you could drink?
- More than once gotten into situations while or after drinking that raised your chances of getting hurt, such as driving, swimming, or unsafe sex?
- Kept drinking even though it made you depressed or anxious, worsened another health problem, or after a memory blackout?
- Had to drink much more than before to feel the effect, or found your usual number of drinks had much less effect?
- Had withdrawal symptoms as the alcohol wore off, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, restlessness, nausea, sweating, a racing heart, or a seizure?
Two or three symptoms mean mild AUD, four or five moderate, and six or more severe. Source: NIAAA, Understanding alcohol use disorder. Holding down a job does not rule it out; our article on functional alcoholism covers how a drinking problem can hide behind a busy, productive life.
How can I take part in Alcohol Awareness Month?
You can take part by changing one thing for yourself and reaching out to one person. Here are four practical options.
Try 30 days without alcohol
A month off is a low-pressure way to see how much alcohol is part of your routine. In a study of 857 adults in the U.K. who signed up for "Dry January," participants reported drinking less six months later whether or not they finished the month, and very few drank more afterward. Those who completed it were more likely to change. It was an observational study of people who chose to take part, so it cannot prove the challenge caused the change. Source: Health Psychology, Dry January and later alcohol use
To make it stick, NIAAA suggests keeping little or no alcohol at home, avoiding the people and places that trigger drinking, having a polite "No, thanks" ready, and planning what you will do when an urge hits. Source: NIAAA Rethinking Drinking, Tips to try
A safety check first. If you drink heavily every day, or you have had shakes, sweats, or a racing heart when you cut back, do not stop on your own. See the withdrawal section below.
Check your drinking, or set a limit
If a full month off is not for you, track every drink for two weeks and pick a weekly limit with some alcohol-free days. If you cannot stay within the limit you set, or you already have symptoms of AUD, NIAAA strongly advises quitting rather than cutting down. Source: NIAAA Rethinking Drinking, Cut down or quit?
Talk with someone you are worried about
NIAAA's advice for starting that conversation:
- Pick the moment. Not at a holiday gathering, and never while the person is drinking. If they are in danger, call 911.
- Stay calm and stick to facts. Alcohol use disorder is a medical problem, not a lack of willpower.
- Don't gang up. Speak one to one rather than confronting the person in a group.
- Bring options. Offer to search for care together, and if they say no, give them time and ask again later.
Source: NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator, Starting the conversation
Look after yourself too. Al-Anon, Alateen, and SMART Recovery Family and Friends support people affected by a loved one's drinking. Source: NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator, Caretaker support resources
Share accurate information
Share one fact that surprised you, such as the cancer link, with family, friends, or coworkers. SAMHSA's toolkit has ready-made posts and guides for talking with children about underage drinking. Source: SAMHSA, Alcohol Awareness Month
Is it dangerous to stop drinking suddenly?
It can be. After long periods of heavy drinking, stopping can set off "a painful or even potentially life-threatening process of withdrawal," so NIAAA advises seeking medical help to plan it. Source: NIAAA, Treatment for alcohol problems
Symptoms usually start within 8 hours of the last drink but can begin days later. The most severe form, delirium tremens, can be fatal. Moderate to severe withdrawal may need treatment in a hospital. Call 911 or go to the emergency room for seizures, fever, severe confusion, hallucinations, or an irregular heartbeat. Source: MedlinePlus, Alcohol withdrawal
In medical detox, a care team watches for these complications, and doctors can prescribe medicines that ease symptoms and make withdrawal safer. Source: NIAAA, Understanding alcohol use disorder Ambrosia's medical detox program is run through Midwest Detox at Ambrosia in West Palm Beach, with a dedicated alcohol detox track.
Where can I find help for alcohol use disorder?
Most people with alcohol use disorder recover or improve markedly with treatment, which can include counseling, medication, and mutual-support groups. Source: NIAAA, Treatment for alcohol problems
- NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. A free tool with no commercial sponsors. It walks you through searching for care, the questions to ask a provider, and how to compare options, in person or by telehealth. Source: NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential treatment referrals, 24 hours a day, in English and Spanish. Source: SAMHSA, National Helpline
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 if drinking has become a crisis or you are thinking about harming yourself. In a medical emergency, call 911.
- Ambrosia. Our alcohol addiction treatment includes withdrawal assessment, therapy, and inpatient and outpatient levels of care in West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, and Singer Island, Florida.
Frequently asked questions
What month is Alcohol Awareness Month?
April. It runs from April 1 to April 30 every year and has been observed since 1987. Source: CDC MMWR, Alcohol Awareness Month, April 2002
Is Alcohol Awareness Month the same as Dry January?
No. Alcohol Awareness Month is in April and covers alcohol use, alcohol use disorder, and getting help. Dry January is a separate challenge to stop drinking for the month of January. You can try a month off during either one.
How many people have alcohol use disorder?
In 2025, 25.7 million people in the U.S. ages 12 and older had alcohol use disorder in the past year, about 8.9 percent. Source: SAMHSA, 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health release
Is any amount of alcohol safe?
Federal guidance no longer gives a "safe" daily number. The 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines say to drink less for better health, and the Surgeon General found that cancer risk rises the more you drink. Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030
Can I quit drinking cold turkey?
If you drink lightly or now and then, usually yes. If you drink heavily every day or have had withdrawal symptoms before, talk to a doctor first, because withdrawal can be life-threatening. Source: MedlinePlus, Alcohol withdrawal