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Binge Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20: 2002 and 2003 Update 

The NSDUH Report:  Binge Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20: 2002 and 2003 Update

Highlights

  • Binge drinking (defined as 5 or more drinks on the same occasion at least one day in the past month) was higher among persons of legal drinking age (23.4% of those aged 21 and older ) than persons under legal drinking age (19.2% of those aged 12 to 20).
  • Based on annual averages from SAMHSA's 2002 and 2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, there were approximately 7.2 million persons under the legal drinking age who were past month binge alcohol users.
  • Rates for current underage binge drinking among those aged 12 to 20 was lowest in Utah (13.7%) and highest in North Dakota (32.5%).
  • Among current underage binge drinkers, males were more likely to binge on more days in the past month than females.
  • Among binge drinkers aged 12 to 20, 49.3% reported binge alcohol use on 1 or 2 days in the past month, 18.7% reported 2 or 3 days, 11.5% reported 5 or 6 days, and 20.5% reported binge drinking on 7 or more days in the past month.

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This Short Report, The NSDUH Report:  Binge Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20: 2002 and 2003 Update, is based on SAMHSA's  National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse and for selected mental health measures in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.   SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug use and for selected mental health measures by State.

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SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.

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