History of the NAS

Our Story

The NAS is conducted by the National Alcohol Research Center, part of the Alcohol Research Group and Public Health Institute, and surveys adults aged 18 and older throughout the US. Every five years since the 1960s, the NAS has asked US adults how much they’re drinking, what they’re drinking, their reason for drinking (and not drinking!).

While we’ve added new questions, there are questions we’ve been asking the American public for over forty years—that has generated a lot of data! Having these data, we’re able to look at how the US population is changing its relationship and behavior with alcohol and other substances, like cannabis, over time.

To give you a sense of how the survey has changed, we put together a timeline: