Alcohol Dependence or Abuse 2006

Alcohol use can result in long- and short-term health consequences, including liver disease, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, psychological disorders, and injury from alcohol-related accidents.^1-3 The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older questions to assess their use of alcohol and symptoms of alcohol dependence or abuse during the past year. NSDUH defines alcohol dependence or abuse using criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV),⁴ including symptoms such as withdrawal, tolerance, use in dangerous situations, trouble with the law, and interference in major obligations at work, school, or home during the past year.

This report examines alcohol dependence or abuse among persons aged 12 or older. All findings presented in this report are annual averages based on combined 2002, 2003, and 2004 NSDUH data.

Alcohol Dependence or Abuse

In 2002-2004, 7.6 percent of persons aged 12 or older (18.2 million) met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year. Adults aged 18 to 25 (17.4 percent) were more likely to have been dependent on or abused alcohol during the past year than adults aged 26 to 34 (11.1 percent), 35 to 49 (7.5 percent), and 50 or older (3.0 percent) (Figure 1).

Among persons aged 12 or older, males were more likely than females to have met the criteria for past year alcohol dependence or abuse (10.6 vs. 4.9 percent). Past year alcohol dependence or abuse was more likely among American Indian or Alaska Natives (14.0 percent) than among whites (7.9 percent), Hispanics (8.2 percent), blacks (6.5 percent), and Asians (4.3 percent) (Figure 2).

Alcohol Dependence or Abuse, by Family Characteristics

Combined data from 2002, 2003, and 2004 indicated that past year alcohol dependence or abuse was more prevalent among persons aged 12 or older with family incomes of less than 125 percent of the Federal poverty threshold (9.4 percent) than those with family incomes from 125 to 199 percent (7.7 percent), from 200 to 399 percent (7.2 percent), and 400 percent or more (7.2 percent) of the Federal poverty threshold.⁵

Among adults aged 18 or older, 16.0 percent of those who were never married met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year compared with 10.0 percent of those who were divorced or separated, 4.6 percent of those who were married, and 1.3 percent who were widowed. This pattern was found for both males and females (Table 1). Approximately one fifth of males alcohol rehab who were never married (20.2 percent) were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year.

Adults living with one or more children under age 18 were less likely to have met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year than adults living without any children under age 18 (6.5 vs. 8.5 percent).⁶ This was true for males and females and for each of the three youngest age groups. However, adults aged 50 or older with at least one child under the age of 18 were more likely to meet the criteria for past year alcohol dependence or abuse than adults aged 50 or older without children under age 18 (5.2 vs. 2.8 percent).

Alcohol Dependence or Abuse, by Overall Health and Health Care

Persons aged 12 or older who met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year were equally likely as those who did not meet the criteria to report excellent or very good health (Table 2). Individuals who were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year were more likely to have been treated in an emergency room at least once in the past year than those who did not meet alcohol dependence or abuse criteria (34.2 vs. 27.9 percent). However, persons who were dependent on or abused alcohol in the past year were less likely to have spent at least 1 night in the past year as an inpatient in a hospital than those who did not meet the criteria for dependence or abuse (8.9 vs. 10.1 percent).

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