1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

Table 36. Percentages Reporting Past Month "Binge" Alcohol Use and Past Month Heavy Alcohol Use, by Age Group and Geographic Characteristics:  Annual Averages Based on 1997 and 1998 Samples

	AGE GROUP (Level of Use)
	12-17		18-25		26-34		35 and Older		Total
Geographic Characteristic	"Binge" Alcohol	Heavy Alcohol	"Binge" Alcohol	Heavy Alcohol	"Binge" Alcohol	Heavy Alcohol	"Binge" Alcohol	Heavy Alcohol	"Binge" Alcohol	Heavy Alcohol
TOTAL	8.0	3.0	29.9	12.5	22.5	7.3	11.8	4.2	15.4	5.6
GEOGRAPHIC DIVISION
North East
New England	5.9	1.4	31.9	11.0	17.8	5.5	6.7	1.7	11.6	3.5
Mid Atlantic	9.2	4.0	27.0	10.7	22.0	7.6	9.9	3.8	13.6	5.2
North Central
East North Central	9.0	3.7	37.0	17.3	26.8	8.7	12.8	5.3	18.2	7.4
West North Central	9.8	2.9	44.7	20.8	31.8	7.3	19.0	6.3	22.8	7.7
South
South Atlantic	7.0	2.3	27.5	11.2	22.1	7.2	13.7	4.8	16.2	5.7
East South Central	8.0	3.1	25.2	9.2	20.0	10.0	6.8	2.7	11.8	4.8
West South Central	7.1	2.8	27.5	12.0	20.3	6.9	11.6	4.4	14.5	5.6
West
Mountain	8.9	1.9	21.8	8.5	23.0	6.3	12.4	4.2	15.2	5.0
Pacific	7.2	3.4	28.0	10.9	19.0	6.1	10.5	3.1	13.6	4.6
EXPANDED POPULATION DENSITY1
Large Metro	7.8	3.4	27.1	10.2	22.3	6.9	11.7	4.2	15.1	5.4
Small Metro
Population $250K	8.0	2.9	30.6	13.2	22.0	7.6	11.0	4.2	15.1	5.8
Population <250K	7.8	2.0	38.5	17.5	24.3	7.2	13.4	4.2	17.9	6.3
Nonmetro
Urban	7.9	2.9	31.8	13.9	26.3	7.7	12.5	4.6	16.9	6.3
Rural	8.7	3.1	25.9	11.7	20.4	8.3	11.6	3.8	13.9	5.2
STATE2
California	6.0	2.8	25.8	10.3	17.2	6.5	10.1	3.2	13.0	4.7
Arizona	10.2	4.3	33.0	15.2	26.6	11.0	12.2	5.0	16.9	7.2
U.S. Excluding CA&AZ	8.5	3.1	29.7	12.5	23.2	7.4	12.2	4.6	15.8	5.9

*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.

¹ Population density is based on 1990 MSA classifications and their 1990 Census of Population counts.

² State estimates in this table are based on data from quarters 2-4 of the 1997 NHSDA and all four quarters of the 1998 NHSDA data.

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.