NIH 1998 Almanac/The Organization/NIAAA/
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism : Important Events in NIAAA History
December 31, 1970--NIAAA was established under authority of the Comprehensive
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L.
91-616) with authority to develop and conduct comprehensive health, education, training,
research, and planning programs for the prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse and
alcoholism.
May 14, 1974--Passage of P.L. 93-282, which established NIAAA, NIMH, and NIDA as
coequal institutes within the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration.
July 26, 1976--Expansion of NIAAA’s research authority to include behavioral
and biomedical etiology of the social and economic consequences of alcohol abuse and
alcoholism under authority of the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention,
Treatment and Rehabilitation Act amendments of 1976 (P.L. 94-371).
August 1981--Passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (P.L. 97-35)
transferred responsibility and funding for alcoholism treatment services to the states
through the creation of an Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services block grant
administered by ADAMHA and strengthened NIAAA’s research mission.
October 27, 1986--Creation of a new Office for Substance Abuse Prevention in ADAMHA
by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-570) consolidated the remainder of
NIAAA’s nonresearch prevention activities with those of NIDA and permitted
NIAAA’s total commitment to provide national stewardship to alcohol research.
July 10, 1992--NIAAA became a new NIH research institute under authority of ADAMHA
Reorganization Act (P.L. 102-321).
