Youth Substance  Use: State Estimates From the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

2. ALCOHOL USE

A number of measures of alcohol use are available from the NHSDA. This chapter discusses past month use of alcohol, past month binge use of alcohol, perceived risk of binge use of alcohol, average age at first use, and dependence on alcohol. Alcohol is the most commonly used illicit substance among youths aged 12 to 17. Nationally, 16.5 percent of youths reported use of alcohol in the past month, and 10.1 percent reported binge use of alcohol (SAMHSA, in press).

2.1 Model-Based Estimates

• The State with the highest rate of past month use of alcohol in 1999 among youths aged 12 to 17 was North Dakota (24.7 percent) (Table B.1B). The State with the lowest rate was Utah (10.3 percent) (Table B.1B). The majority of States in the highest ranked group were northern, while most of the States in the lowest ranked group were southern. Nine of the States in the highest ranked group for past month binge use of alcohol for youths were also in the highest group for past month use of alcohol (Figure A.1).

• There was a strong negative correlation at the State level between prevalence of past month use of alcohol and perceived risk of alcohol use (Figures A.1 and A.2). In other words, those States with the highest prevalence rate for past month alcohol use were also the same States that had the lowest perceived risk of alcohol use. Similarly, States with high rates of reporting great risk in having five or more drinks of an alcoholic beverage once or twice a week tended to have low rates of alcohol use (Tables B.1B, B.2B, and B.3B). The State reporting the highest rate of this type of perceived risk was Utah (51.5 percent of youths) (Table B.3B). Most of the States reporting high rates of risk among youths were southern (Figure A.2). Seven States that reported the highest rates of great risk were the same ones in the lowest category for past month alcohol use (Figures A.1 and A.2). Seven of the States that reported the lowest rates of risk were in the group with the highest rates of past month alcohol use (Figures A.1 and A.2). The States in the lowest tier of perceived risk were all northern except for West Virginia (Figure A.2). Being somewhat of an anomaly, West Virginia had a low percentage of youths who perceived a great risk of alcohol use (36.0 percent, Table B.3B), yet this State also ranked in the next-to-lowest category for past month use of alcohol among youths (15.5 percent, Table B.1B). West Virginia's rate of binge use of alcohol fell in the middle category (Figure A.1).

2.2 Sample-Based Estimates

Some research indicates that youths who begin to use substances at an early age are more likely to have substance use problems later in life (Babor et al., 1992). Therefore, the average age at first use reported by youths in each State was calculated. In general, the confidence intervals associated with the average ages at first use in the States were fairly large and may not provide much information on a State's true relative ranking. Comparisons to the national average are probably more useful. A number of States may need to utilize 2 years' data to obtain more precise estimates.

• Among persons who first initiated alcohol use in 1995 to 1997 at age 25 or younger, the average age at first use ranged from 14.8 years old in Montana to 16.5 years in the District of Columbia (Table C.1). The national average age for first alcohol use among these persons was 15.7 years (Table C.1). Of the 10 States in the lowest quintile for age at first use, only six—Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nevada, and Wyoming—were also in the highest prevalence group for past month use of alcohol among youths (Table C.1 and Figure A.1). Of the nine States in the category with the highest average age for first use of alcohol, seven were southern (six States and the District of Columbia (Table C.1). The eight largest States showed average age for first use in a narrow band around the national average, from 15.5 (New York and Ohio) to 15.9 (Florida) (Table C.1).

• Nationally, the dependence score for alcohol among youths was 0.58 (Table C.2). The State with the highest scale score was North Dakota (0.96), while Utah had the lowest score (0.37) (Table C.2). At the State level, there was a relatively high correlation between the dependence score and the prevalence of past month alcohol use among youths. Seven of the States in the high past month alcohol prevalence group also were in the highest group for the alcohol dependence score; seven of the States in the lowest prevalence group were also in the lowest dependence score group (Figure A.1 and Table C.2).²

² The relatively high correlation of the dependence score with the prevalence rate is built in to a certain degree because the higher the prevalence, the smaller the number of youths who had not used the substance in the past year (who are assigned a 0 score).

This page was last updated on June 03, 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.