Alcohol Use Disorder: Bergeson

According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 14.5 million people 12 years of age and older battle alcohol use disorder. Alcohol is the country’s most abused substance, and other than cigarettes, dealing with alcohol-related issues creates more costs per capita than do all other drugs combined. 

This episode's guest is Susan Bergeson, Ph.D., a University Distinguished Professor for the Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine. She explains that while the addiction spotlight has turned toward the opioid epidemic in recent years, more people continue to die annually from alcohol use disorder. Bergeson discusses her research on a drug to treat alcohol use disorder, reminds us addiction is an illness and what we can do to support those with problems with addiction.