Percent of adults reporting excessive alcohol consumption in the past 30 days
Measure Overview
Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to adverse health outcomes such as increased risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Previously, State Health Compare had one measure on alcohol consumption that measured only binge drinking. We have since pivoted to this measure that also encompasses heavy drinking to more comprehensively estimate unhealthy alcohol consumption. This Excessive Alcohol Consumption measure is defined as, "Percent of adults (age 18 or older) who report binge drinking and/or heavy drinking in the past 30 days. Binge drinking is defined as having 4 or more drinks for women or 5 or more drinks for men on one occasion. Heavy drinking is defined as having 7 or more drinks per week for women or 15 or more drinks per week for men."
State Health Compare provides state-level data on "Excessive Alcohol Consumption" based on findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The data are available across the following breakdowns: Total, race/ethnicity, education, sexual orientation, coverage type.