In case you haven't heard…

There has been an increasingly loud drumbeat of layperson articles about the dangers of drinking, first on the problems of moderate drinking, and now, surprisingly in the United States (although not England), on the risks of drinking any alcohol at all. Whether Americans will espouse the message is unclear; alcohol deaths related to heavy drinking are going up. This and other warnings were included in a Thanksgiving‐related article in The New York Times last month. Perhaps studies will find that such deaths are linked to any drinking at all. But the question is how the nation will respond. People who don't drink at all are in the majority. But most alcohol is consumed by only 10‐20% of the population. Dry January is just around the corner. As one of the world's most mysterious addictions, alcohol use disorder could stand a closer look, with maybe even a return to the idea of higher excise taxes, the most prominent prevention found yet.