Alcohol
Current Use of Alcohol
Alcohol is the most frequently used drug in both Indiana and the United States. According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 50% of the U.S. population 12 years of age or older are estimated to be current users of alcohol. Prevalence estimates for current alcohol use as estimated by the NSDUH can be viewed by age group for Indiana and the U.S. for the past 10 years.
The Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides annual estimates for current alcohol use by adults age 18 and older. Prevalence estimates for Indiana can be compared to those for the U.S. by race, gender, and educational attainment.
Data on current use of alcohol by high school students in the 9th through 12th grades is available on a biannual basis from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Estimates of use can be viewed for Indiana and the U.S. by gender, race, and grade level. Estimates for Indiana are not available for 2013.
Binge Drinking
Binge drinking is a problematic pattern of alcohol use characterized by consuming multiple alcoholic drinks over a relatively short period of time. Data on binge drinking are available from the CDC’s BRFSS for adults ages 18 and older. The CDC defines current binge drinking as having 5 or more drinks on one occasion for males or having 4 or more drinks on one occasion for females at least once in the past 30 days. Data comparing Indiana and the U.S. on binge drinking can be viewed by gender, age, race, educational attainment, and income level.
Data for binge drinking by high school students in the 9th through 12th grades is available on a biannual basis from the YRBSS. The YRBSS defines current binge drinking for males and females as drinking 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row, within a couple of hours at least 1 day during the past 30 days. Data on binge drinking in Indiana and the U.S. is provided by gender, race, and grade level.
Alcohol use is associated with a number of adverse consequences including alcohol use disorders and involvement with the criminal justice system.
Alcohol Use Disorders
Alcohol use disorders are characterized by continued use of excessive amounts of alcohol despite negative financial, legal, employment or personal outcomes. The NSDUH defines alcohol use disorders using criteria from the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). The DSM-IV describes two types of alcohol use disorders: alcohol abuse, which is a less severe disorder and alcohol dependence, which is more severe. The NSDUH provides estimates for the prevalence of past-year alcohol use disorders among person 12 years of age or older. Estimates can be viewed for Indiana and the U.S. by age group.
Information on persons entering substance abuse treatment for alcohol use is available from the Treatment Episode Data System (TEDS). The TEDS provides the number of persons entering substance use treatment, the drugs they are using at the time of admission, the primary drug for which they are seeking treatment, as well as basic demographic information. TEDS data for Indiana do not reflect all persons in substance abuse treatment but only those in treatment at facilities that receive funds from the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions. TEDS data related to alcohol use can be viewed by age, race, and gender. The percent of treatment admissions related to alcohol can be viewed across the state for the past 10 years and trend data are available for each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
Any Alcohol Use
The following visualizations provide information on individuals who reported using alcohol at the time of their admission to substance abuse treatment:
Alcohol - Primary Substance Used
The following visualizations provide information individuals who reported entering substance abuse treatment primarily for the use of alcohol:
Data related to alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes is available from the Automated Reporting Information Exchange System maintained by the Indiana State Police. Data are provided for both non-fatal and fatal crashes. Data can be viewed at the state and county level. The map provides the distribution of non-fatal and fatal collision rates across the state for the past 10 years.
Criminal Justice Consequences
Data on legal consequences related to alcohol use are available through the Uniform Crime Reporting system (UCR) maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR data related to alcohol contains arrests for driving under the influence (DUI), public intoxication, and liquor law violations (e.g., selling to minors). Data on the rate of alcohol-related arrests for each offense for the past 9 years are available for Indiana and the U.S. as well as for Indiana counties. The map provides information on the rate of alcohol-related offenses throughout the state for the past 9 years.