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A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that three areas in Washington, D.C.; Prince Georges County and Baltimore City, Md.; Detroit; Wilmington, Del.; Los Angeles County; two areas of Utah; Shelby County and central Tennessee; and parts of Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia have some of the lowest rates of underage binge drinking in the country. The highest rates of underage binge drinking occurred in Washington, D.C.’s Ward 3, Western Wisconsin, four regions of North Dakota, three regions of South Dakota, three areas of Montana, Washington, Bristol and Newport counties, R.I., and part of Wyoming.
The report, “Substate Estimates from the 2002-2004 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health”, is an online compendium of alcohol and substance abuse in over 340 substate areas designated by the states. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks within a couple of hours on at least one day in the 30 days prior to the survey. Underage drinking encompasses persons ages 12-20 years old.
Among all persons ages 12 and older, an accompanying short report, “Alcohol Dependence or Abuse in Substate Areas”, which extracts data from the larger report, estimates that Albany and Carbon counties in Wyoming have the highest rate of alcohol abuse or dependence in the nation, 13.5 percent of the population, while southern Utah and north central Florida had the lowest rate at 5.4 percent.
“We have made real progress in convincing young people to abstain from drug use. Now we need to have the same positive results with alcohol abuse and dependence,” Assistant Surgeon General Eric B. Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA’s acting administrator, said. “We are working with states and communities to provide information and resources needed to mobilize against underage drinking.”
The localities with the highest rates of underage alcohol use include sections of the District of Columbia, Wards 2 and 3. In contrast, areas with the lowest rates of underage binge drinking include Washington D.C.’s Wards 4, 7 and 8. Parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Western and Northern Wisconsin, and Rhode Island were also among those with the highest rates of underage alcohol use.
Thirteen of the highest 15 areas for underage binge alcohol use were the same as those for underage alcohol use: North Dakota (Northeast, Southeast, North Central and Northwest, Badlands and West Central), South Dakota (Regions 5 and 7), Montana (Regions 4 and 5), Rhode Island (Washington, Bristol and Newport counties), District of Columbia (Ward 3), Wisconsin (Western), and Wyoming (District 2).
The localities with the highest rates of past year alcohol dependence or abuse among both adolescents and adults (ages 12 and older) were sections of Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin all had more than one of its substate areas in the top 15 areas for alcohol abuse or dependence in the nation.
The short report finds that only 4 of the top 15 substate areas for alcohol dependence or abuse were also in the top 15 for illicit drug dependence or abuse. These overlapping areas include the District of Columbia’s Wards 1 and 2, Bernalillo County in New Mexico, and Washington County in Rhode Island.
The full report contains estimates for 22 measures of substance use including illicit drug use, tobacco use, substance dependence or abuse, needing but not receiving treatment and serious psychological distress.
The short report on alcohol dependence or abuse is available on the web at www.oas.samhsa.gov. The complete substate report is available on the web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/substateList.htm.
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