Florida
Addiction Treatment Center
Alcohol Use Statistics in the US This report presents a first look at results from the 2008 National
Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of the
civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States
aged 12 years old or older. The report presents national estimates
of rates of use, numbers of users, and other measures related
to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco products. Measures related
to mental health problems also are presented, including data
on serious mental illness, depression, and the co-occurrence
of substance use and mental health problems. The report focuses
on trends between 2007 and 2008 and from 2002 to 2008, as well
as differences across population subgroups in 2008. Past Year Perceived Need for and Effort Made to Receive
Specialty Treatment among Persons Aged 12 or Older Needing,
But Not Receiving Treatment for Illicit Drug or Alcohol Use:
2008 Alcohol Use • Slightly
more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being
current drinkers of alcohol in the 2008 survey (51.6 percent).
This translates to an estimated 129.0 million people, which
was similar to the 2007 estimate of 126.8 million people (51.1
percent). • In 2008, more than one fifth
(23.3 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge
drinking. This translates to about 58.1 million people, similar
to the estimate in 2007. Binge drinking is defined as having
five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in
the 30 days prior to the survey. • In 2008,
heavy drinking was reported by 6.9 percent of the population
aged 12 or older, or 17.3 million people. This rate was the
same as the rate of heavy drinking in 2007. Heavy drinking is
defined as binge drinking on at least 5 days in the past 30
days. • Among young adults aged 18 to 25
in 2008, the rate of binge drinking was 41.0 percent, and the
rate of heavy drinking was 14.5 percent. These rates were similar
to the rates in 2007. • The rate of current
alcohol use among youths aged 12 to 17 was 14.6 percent in 2008,
which is lower than the 2007 rate (15.9 percent). Youth binge
and heavy drinking rates in 2008 were 8.8 percent (lower than
the 9.7 percent rate in 2007) and 2.0 percent, respectively. • Past month and binge drinking rates among underage
persons (aged 12 to 20) declined between 2002 and 2008. The
rate of past month underage drinking declined from 28.8 to 26.4
percent, and the rate of past month binge drinking declined
from 19.3 to 17.4 percent. • Among persons
aged 12 to 20, past month alcohol use rates in 2008 were 17.2
percent among Asians, 19.0 percent among blacks, 22.9 percent
among those reporting two or more races, 23.1 percent among
Hispanics, 26.4 percent among American Indians or Alaska Natives,
and 30.1 percent among whites. • In 2008,
56.2 percent of current drinkers aged 12 to 20 reported that
their last use of alcohol in the past month occurred in someone
else’s home, and 29.6 percent reported that it had occurred
in their own home. About one third (30.8 percent) paid for the
alcohol the last time they drank, including 8.3 percent who
purchased the alcohol themselves and 22.3 percent who gave money
to someone else to purchase it. Among those who did not pay
for the alcohol they last drank, 37.4 percent got it from an
unrelated person aged 21 or older, 21.1 percent from another
person under 21 years of age, and 21.0 percent from a parent,
guardian, or other adult family member. •
In 2008, an estimated 12.4 percent of persons aged 12 or older
drove under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past
year. This percentage has dropped since 2002, when it was 14.2
percent. The rate of driving under the influence of alcohol
was highest among persons aged 21 to 25 (26.1 percent). Data are presented for racial/ethnic groups based on current
guidelines for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data
(Office of Management and Budget [OMB], 1997). Because respondents
were allowed to choose more than one racial group, a “two
or more races” category is presented that includes persons
who reported more than one category among the basic groups listed
in the survey question (white, black or African American, American
Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander,
Asian, Other). Respondents choosing both Native Hawaiian and
Other Pacific Islander but no other categories mentioned above
are classified in the combined “Native Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander” category instead of the “two or
more race” category. It should be noted that, except for
the “Hispanic or Latino” group, the racial/ethnic
groups discussed in this report include only non-Hispanics.
The category “Hispanic or Latino” includes Hispanics
of any race. Data also are presented for four U.S. geographic regions and
nine geographic divisions within these regions. These regions
and divisions, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, consist of
the following groups of States: Source:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2009).
Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-36,
HHS Publication No. SMA 09-4434). Rockville, MD. Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away.
If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate
attention you may contact us:
Florida Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
For more Information you may visit our Comprehensive website at: CoveCenterforRecovery.com
http://cuttingandselfharm.com Florida Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com
http://interventionforteens.com
http://teenmarijuanaaddiction.com
http://adolescentresidentialtreatment.com
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