NCJ Number
211265
Date Published
August 2005
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for 2002 and 2003 indicate the frequency and quantity of alcohol use during the month before the survey for respondents between the ages of 12 and 20.
Abstract
NSDUH defines binge alcohol use as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past 30 days. Findings presented in this report are annual averages based on combined 2002 and 2003 NSDUH data. These data indicate that approximately 7.2 million persons (19.2 percent) ages 12 to 20 were binge alcohol users in the past month. Binge alcohol use rates for persons ages 12 to 20 were among the lowest in Utah (13.7 percent) and among the highest in North Dakota (32.5 percent). Among persons ages 12 to 20 who reported past-month binge alcohol abuse, approximately half reported binge alcohol use on 3 or more days per month. Among past-month binge alcohol users, 55.2 percent of those ages 18 to 20 engaged in binge drinking on 3 or more days in the past month, compared with 43.1 percent of those ages 12 to 17. 4 figures