1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

Table 30. Percentages Reporting Past Month Alcohol Use, Past Month "Binge" Alcohol Use, and Past Month Heavy Alcohol Use, by Detailed Age Categories:  1997 and 1998  

	LEVEL OF ALCOHOL USE IN PAST MONTH
	Any Alcohol Use		"Binge" Alcohol Use		Heavy Alcohol Use
Age Group	1997	1998	1997	1998	1997	1998
Total	51.4	51.7	15.3	15.6	5.4	5.9
12-17 Years Old	20.5	19.1	8.3	7.7	3.1	2.9
12-13	6.7	4.9	1.1	1.4	0.3	0.5
14-15	21.1	20.9	7.7	7.6	2.6	2.5
16-17	33.4	32.0	16.0	14.8	6.5	6.0
18-25 Years Old	58.4	60.0	28.0a	31.7	11.1a	13.8
18-20	53.4	53.5	28.3	30.1	12.4	14.9
21-25	61.8	64.6	27.8b	32.8	10.2a	13.1
26-34 Years Old	60.2	60.9	23.1	22.0	7.5	7.2
26-29	60.9	61.1	24.1	24.6	7.8	8.0
30-34	59.7	60.7	22.3	19.9	7.2	6.6
35 Years and Older	52.8	53.1	11.7	11.9	4.0	4.4
35-39	64.8	63.5	20.1	20.2	8.4	5.5
40-44	57.4	61.9	15.7	17.0	4.9	6.6
45-49	53.8	54.8	14.2	15.8	3.5	6.3
>50	47.3	46.7	6.9	6.8	2.4	2.9

*Low precision; no estimate reported.

NOTE: "Binge" Alcohol Use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the past 30 days. By "occasion" is meant at the same time or within a couple hours of each other. Heavy Alcohol Use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of five or more days in the past 30 days; all Heavy Alcohol Users are also "Binge" Alcohol Users.

^aDifference between 1997 and 1998 is statistically significant at the .05 level.

^bDifference between 1997 and 1998 is statistically significant at the .01 level.

Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1997 and 1998.

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This page was last updated on June 01, 2008.

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.