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In 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) founded Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to increase awareness and understanding of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. These are often misunderstood disorders that affect tens of millions of Americans each year. Unfortunately, many Americans who suffer from alcohol use problems face social stigma, a fear of getting treatment, and a lack of education about the true dangers of alcoholism.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly one quarter of Americans over the age of 18 reported binge drinking in the last month. That's more than 60 million people. However, only 2.5 million Americans get treatment each year for alcohol abuse. And, while it's true that a monthly episode of binge drinking doesn't equate with alcohol addiction or alcoholism, these statistics indicate that there are likely tens of millions of alcoholics in the U.S. each year that never get the treatment they so desperately need.

Smoking costs Americans $170 billion a year in direct medical costs, another $156 billion in lost productivity, and takes nearly half a million lives per year. Take a moment and imagine just how many lives, and just how much money Americans could save if smoking became history.

GetTreatment.com, one of the leading drug and alcohol addiction treatment directories in the nation, is helping bring awareness to Children of Alcoholics (COA) week, a campaign led by NACOA (The National Association for Children of Alcoholics) to bring attention to the millions of children worldwide who are seriously affected their parents' alcohol problems.