James N. Hall, Director Center for the Study and...

James N. Hall, Director

Center for the Study and Prevention of

Substance Abuse

Nova Southeastern University

The United Way of Broward County Commission On Substance AbuseFlorida Department of Law Enforcement City of Miramar Police DepartmentNova Southeastern University Florida Department of

Children and Families, Circuit 17

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRENDS IN ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE—Broward County, Florida

United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse 2006 Alcohol Epidemiology Report 1

Alcohol Use and Abuse in Broward County, FloridaJames N. Hall1

ABSTRACT

More than half of Broward County residents aged 12 and above are current users of alcohol at ratesslightly higher than those for the nation or State of Florida. Nearly 43,000 Broward County residentsare considered to be alcohol dependent. Alcohol-related deaths in Broward County have steadilyincreased since 2004. Broward County arrests for liquor law violations have declined since 2002,while driving-under-the-influence arrests increased modestly between 2005 and 2006. Middle-aged,White males are most frequently reported in alcohol-related consequences. This report summarizesfindings from a review of 16,262 Broward County alcohol-related records including 4,155 responsesfrom 3 surveys, 3,630 hospital emergency department reports, 2,381 alcohol addiction treatmentadmissions, 4,081 DUI arrests, 1,548 liquor law violations, and 467 alcohol-related deaths in 2006.

Report Highlights

The rate of current alcohol use among Broward’s underage population aged 18 to 20 years ishigher than the rates for the nation, the State of Florida, and neighboring counties.

The percent of Broward middle school students reporting alcohol used declined in 2006following increases from 2000 to 2004.

There have been steady declines in current alcohol use and binge drinking among Broward highschool students since 2000.

Alcohol use by Broward children and youth is linked to risky and destructive behaviors.

Alcohol-related deaths among underage drinkers include gun shot homicide victims, fatalitiesfrom traffic accidents, and multi-drug overdose decedents.

Alcohol-related suicide attempts were identified in 281 hospital emergency department reportsand among 79 deaths in Broward County during 2006

Among those coming to Broward County emergency rooms for an alcohol-related problem in2006, 20 percent were seeking detoxification and 37 percent were admitted to some form ofinpatient care.

Combining alcohol with other drugs and medications is linked to deaths, medical emergencies,and addiction cases.

A Federal survey reports that 92,492 Broward residents were in need of, but did not receivetreatment for alcohol abuse or dependency in the past year.

1 Mr. Hall is affiliated with the United Way of Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse’s Center for the Study and Prevention ofSubstance Abuse at Nova Southeastern University.



Area Description

Broward County is composed of Ft. Lauderdale plus 28 other municipalities and an unincorporated area.The county covers 1,197 square miles, including 25 miles of coastline. According to the 2005 censusestimate, the population was 1,777,638. The population is 51.3 percent White non-Hispanic, 24.4 percentBlack non-Hispanic, 21.1 percent of Hispanic or Latino origin, 2.9 percent Asian, and 0.3 percentAmerican Indian. The population described in this report are Broward County residents aged 12 and abovetotaling 1,412,085. Broward County is the second most populated county in Florida and accounts forapproximately 10 percent of Florida’s population. Broward was the top growth county in Florida in the1990s and added 367,000 more people during that decade and an additional 127,713 between 2000 and2005.

Data Sources

This report describes current alcohol trends in Broward County, using the data sources summarizedbelow:

Survey data on the prevalence of alcohol use among the general population aged 12 and above inand Broward County are provided by the Sub-State Substance Abuse Estimates from the 1999-2001and 2002-2004 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office of AppliedStudies (OAS), SAMHSA.

Survey data on the prevalence of substance use by high school students nationally, across the Stateof Florida and Broward County, Palm Beach County are from the 1995-2005 Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).

Survey data on the prevalence of substance use by middle and high school students in Florida arefrom the 2000-2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Surveys conducted by the State’s Department ofChildren and Families.

Alcohol-related mortality data were provided by the Broward County Medical Examiner Departmentfor 2003 through 2006.

Emergency department data were derived for 2006 from the DAWN Live! restricted-access onlinequery system administered by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), Substance Abuse and MentalHealth Services Administration (SAMHSA). Eligible hospitals in the Ft. Lauderdale Division totaled27; there were 22 hospitals in the DAWN sample, and the number of emergency departments in thesample also totaled 22. During 2006, 6-9 EDs reported data each month. The completeness of datareported by participating EDs varied by month. Exhibits in this paper for Broward County reflectcases that were received by DAWN as of October 22. 2007. Based on this review, cases may becorrected or deleted. Therefore, the data presented in this paper are subject to change. Data derivedfrom DAWN Live! represent alcohol reports in drug-related ED visits. The DAWN Live! data areunweighted and, thus, are not estimates for the reporting area. These data cannot be compared toDAWN data from 2002 and before, nor can preliminary data be used for comparison with futuredata. Only weighted DAWN data released by SAMHSA can be used for trend analysis. A fulldescription of the DAWN system can be found online at http://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/.

http://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/



Alcohol treatment data for January to June 2006 were provided by the Broward Addiction RecoveryCenter (BARC) of the Broward County Department of Human Services and are from 9 adult programsoperated by BARC in Broward County. There are a total of 19 addiction treatment programs in theCounty. In 2005, BARC's clients represented 51.5 percent of all client admissions to publicly fundedtreatment programs in Broward County.

Alcohol-related crime data is provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement UniformCrime Reports county-level arrest data from 2000 through 2009.

Data Summary by Age GroupsYouth (under 18 years of age)A summary of the data on alcohol use and abuse consequences impacting those below the age of 18 isprovided in the table below.

Youth#(% of all)

All Ages#

AlcoholDeaths 1-17 years 1 467ED cases <18 235(6 %) 3,630High School 30-daycurrent use2005 CDC survey

38%

High School 30-daycurrent use2001 CDC survey

44 %

Middle School30-day current use2006 FL Y Survey

18.7%

Middle School30-day current use2000 FL Y Survey

19.8 %

Young Adults (18 to 24 years)A summary of the data on alcohol use and abuse consequences impacting those between 18 and 24 yearsof age are presented in the table below.

YoungAdult#(% of all)

All Ages#

AlcoholDeaths 18-20 years 20 (4 %) 467Deaths 21-24 years 28 (6 %) 467ED cases 18-24 627(17 %) 3,630Treatment mentionsage 18 – 24 years 148( 6 %) 2,38130-day current useAged 18 –25 yearsNSDUH

58 % 54 %



Adults (25 – 54 years)

A summary of the data on alcohol use and abuse consequences impacting those between 25 and 54 yearsof age are presented in the table below. Rates for alcohol addiction treatment clients are for those aged25 to 49 years.

Adults#(% of all)

All Ages#

AlcoholDeaths 25-54 years 286(61%) 467ED cases 25-54 yrs. 2,544

(70 %)3,630

Treatment mentions25-49 years 1,771

(74 %)2,381

30-day current useAge 25 years

and overNSDUH

57% 54 %

Mature Adults (55 years plus)

The table below summarizes the report’s data on those 55 years of age and older involved in Browardalcohol-related deaths and emergency department patients. Rates for alcohol addiction treatment clientsare for those over the age of 50 years.

MatureAdults# (% of all)

All Ages#

AlcoholDeaths 55 + 132 (28 %) 467ED cases55+ 224 (6 %) 3,630Treatmentmentions50+

462 (19 %) 2,381



ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE PATTERNS AND TRENDS

Prevalence

Prevalence of alcohol use and abuse is the measure of what proportion (or percentage) of a selectedpopulation consumes and what proportion experiences or causes negative consequences. Prevalence ismost frequently measured by surveys. Prevalence of alcohol in Broward County is tracked by threesurveys among youth. An additional Federal survey tracking alcohol use among the 8th, 10th, and 12th

graders is not Broward County specific but does provide national rates of alcohol-related behavior.

Underage Alcohol Use (Ages 12-20 Years)

In 2006, sub-state data on alcohol use for those aged 12 to 20 years was released for the first time fromthe National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). These sub-state data provide local results for350 areas in the United States including Broward County. The findings were prepared by combining 3years of NSDUH results (2002-2004) to provide adequate samples representative of the local areas.Exhibit 1 compares the alcohol rates among those ages 12-20 years for the nation, the State of Florida,and Broward County, as well as neighboring Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. The questionsaddress prevalence rates of (1) current alcohol use defined as any use within the past 30 days beforetaking the survey and (2) current binge alcohol use defined as having 5 or more drinks on a singleoccasion during the same time period. The Broward rate of past month use was highest of all the areasshown while Broward’s binge drinking rate was below the national rate and only slightly below Florida’srate and above neighboring counties. Among all Broward residents aged 12 to 20 years, 29.14 percent(or 63,817 persons) reported current alcohol use in the past month and 17.14 percent (or 37,537 persons)reported binge drinking. Among Broward residents age 12 to 20 years of age who are current users ofalcohol, 59 percent reported binge drinking in the last 30 days.

A special report on Risky and Destructive Behaviors associated with underage alcohol use by childrenand youth is included as an Appendix to this report. It explores the key consequences identified by theBroward Commission on Substance Abuse’s Underage Drinking Task Force. These include but are notlimited to;

Driving after drinking alcohol Riding with someone who has been drinking alcohol Engaging in fighting with the intent to harm someone Other violence including rape Carrying or using weapons Having unwanted and unprotected sex Drinking to get drunk Breaking the law Drinking at school Disobeying parents or school rules and regulations Damaging the not yet fully developed brain Use of illegal drugs including the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals.



Exhibit 1

Percent of Persons Aged 12-20

Reporting Alcohol Use

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

%R

ep

ort

ing

Us

e

United States

State of Florida

Broward County

Miami-Dade County

Palm Beach County

United States 28.72 19.25

State of Florida 27.48 17.35

Broward County 29.14 17.14

Miami-Dade County 22.36 12.72

Palm Beach County 25.33 16.05

Past 30 Day Use Binge Drinking Past 30 days

Source: SAMHSA- National Surveys on Drug Use and Health 2000-2004 Sub-State Data

High School StudentsYouth alcohol prevalence rates are derived for high school students (grades 9-12) from the US Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC&P) national Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS). It isover-sampled in 18 metropolitan areas, including Broward County, to provide local prevalence rates forthese communities. The survey has been conducted in odd-number years since 1993. The most currentlocal results are from 2005. The 2007 results are scheduled for release in June 2008.

The Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYS) has been conducted annually since 2000 for middleand high school students across the State of Florida. In even-numbered years, the survey has been over-sampled to provide prevalence rates for the counties of Florida. The most current state-level andBroward County information is from 2006.

Exhibits 2-4 compare the findings of the two surveys of alcohol use among Broward County HighSchool Students. YRBS is the CDC&P’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and FYS is the Florida YouthSubstance Abuse Survey.

SurveyYear

(Sample Size)

YRBS1997

(1,628)

YRBS1999

(1,809)

FYS2000

(2,601)

YRBS2001

(2,112)

FYS2002

(1,981)

YRBS2003

(2,210)

FYS2004

(2,210)

YRBS2005

(1,674)

FYS2006

(1,462)



Exhibit 2

Percent of Broward High School StudentsReporting Any Lifetime Alcohol Use

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

CDCPAny Lifetime use

FL-YS Any Lifetime use

CDCPAny Lifetime use 73.8 74.8 73.9 72.9 73.8

FL-YS Any Lifetime use 69.9 69.3 65.5 64.1

1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Sources: CDC&P Youth Risk behavior Surveillance and Florida Youth Substance Abuse SurveyExhibit 3

Percent of Broward High School StudentsReporting Current Alcohol Use

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

CDCP Past 30-day use

FL-YS Past 30-day use

CDCP Past 30-day use 44 44.1 43.9 42 38.3

FL-YS Past 30-day use 44 39.9 36 34.1

1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Sources: CDC&P Youth Risk behavior Surveillance and Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey

% of 9-12GradersReporting



Exhibit 4

Percent of Broward High School StudentsReporting 5+ Drinks in a Row

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

CDCP 5+ drinks in row Past 30 days

FL-YS 5+ drinks in row Past 2 weeks

CDCP 5+ drinks in rowPast 30 days

22.6 20.1 21.1 20.3 17.6

FL-YS 5+ drinks in rowPast 2 weeks

22.8 20.3 17.2 17

1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Sources: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk behavior Survey 1997-2005and Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey 2000 to 2006

The three indicators of (1) Lifetime prevalence, (2) Past 30-Day prevalence, and (3) Binge-drinking of 5or more drinks in a row in the past 30 days are included in both surveys of Broward high schoolstudents. Both surveys validated one another with very similar findings for these three questionsbetween 2000 and 2006. Recent findings may be generalized to report that between two-thirds (66percent) and three-fourths (75 percent) of high school students in Broward County reported at least onelifetime experience of consuming alcohol, a little more than one-third report use within the past 30 daysof taking the survey, and 17 percent report binge drinking within the past month. Broward high schoolstudents reported slightly lower rates on the 2006 Florida Youth Survey.

Comparison of findings for the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey from Broward County withneighboring counties, the State of Florida, and national rates are provided in Exhibits 5 and 6. BrowardCounty high school students reported lower rates of current alcohol use, binge drinking, and drinking onschool property as well as driving after dinking or riding with someone who has than national, Floridaand Palm Beach students. Broward high school students reported higher rates of having had an alcoholdrink before the age of 13 years than the national average or Palm Beach students. Trends from 1993 to2005 for the indicators in Exhibit 6 are shown in Exhibit 7.

% of 9-12GradersReporting



Exhibit 5

Percent of High School Students Reporting

Alcohol Use 2005

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Any lifetime use Use in past 30 days Binge drinking last 30

days

United States

State of Florida

Broward County

Miami- Dade County

Palm Beach County

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2005Exhibit 6

Percent of High School Students ReportingAlcohol Use and Behaviors 2005

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

1st drink before 13yrs Drank at school last 30days

Rode with drinkingdriver last 30 days

Drove after drinking last30 days

United States

State of Florida

Broward County

Miami-Dade County

Palm Beach County

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2005



Exhibit 7

Percent Broward HS Students

Reporting Alcohol Behaviors

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

%H

SS

tud

en

tsR

ep

ort

ing

1st Drink Before Age 13

Drank at school past 30 days

Rode with driver who drank past 30daysDrove after drinking past 30 days

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey 1993-2005A further comparison of regional high school student alcohol use is provided from the 2006 FloridaYouth Substance Abuse Survey in Exhibit 8. Rates are similar across the three counties and State,however Broward County high school students had the lowest rates for each of the three prevalencequestions including any lifetime use (64.1 percent), any use in the past 30 days (34.1 percent), and anybinge drinking in the past 2 weeks (17.0 percent).Exhibit 8

P e rce nt of H igh S chool S tude ntsR e porting C urre nt Alcohol U se - 2006

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

A n y Li fe t im e U se U se in P as t 30 d ay s B in g e D r in k la s t 2w eeks

All F lorida

Brow a rd

M ia m i-D ad e

P alm Be a c h

%

Source: Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey 2006



Middle School Students

Prevalence rates of alcohol use for middle school students in Broward County are available from the2000 through 2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Surveys. Exhibit 9 presents those findings for thethree questions on any lifetime use, any use in the past 30 days, and binge drinking in the past 2 weeks.Unlike Broward high school students who have reported steady declines in alcohol use between 2000and 2006, middle school students reported increases both lifetime and current alcohol use from 2000 to2004 then sharp declines in 2006. Rates of binge drinking among Broward middle school studentsdeclined from 8.9 percent in 2000 to 6.9 percent in 2002 but then returned to 8.8 percent in 2004 beforefalling to 5.6 percent in 2006.

Exhibit 10 compares rates of alcohol use among Broward middle school students in 2006 with those forthe State of Florida and neighboring counties. Broward 6th through 8th graders’ rate of any lifetimealcohol use at 37.9 percent was lower than the rate for the State or neighboring counties. The Browardmiddle school rate of current past 30-day alcohol use at 18.7 percent was slightly below the rates for theState, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. Broward’s middle school rate of reported binge drinkingin the past two weeks at 5.6 percent was significantly below that for the State and the neighboringcounties.

Exhibit 9

Percent of Broward Middle School StudentsReporting Alcohol Use 2000 - 2006

0

20

40

60 2000

2002

2004

2006

2000 38.4 19.8 8.9

2002 42.3 20.1 6.9

2004 44.8 24 8.8

2006 37.9 18.7 5.6

Any

Lifetime Use

Use in Past

30 Days

Bing

Drinking

Source: Florida Youth Substance Abuse Surveys 2000 - 2006

%o

f6

-8G

rad

ers

Rep

ort

ing



Exhibit 10

Percent of Middle School StudentsReporting Alcohol Use - 2006

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Any Lifetim e

Use

Use in Past 30

days

Binge Drinking

last 2 weeks

All Florida

Broward

Miami-Dade

Palm Beach

Source: Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey 2006

%

Middle and High School Students and Youth Aged 12-17 Years

The rate of current alcohol use was higher for girls at 28.5 percent than for boys at 26 percent amongBroward middle and high school students on the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey in 2006. Thepercentage of students reporting a perceived great risk of harm in having one or more drinks of alcoholevery day declined from 41.6 percent in 2000 to 39.1 percent in 2002 and then rose to 42.1 percent in2004 and to 44.5 percent in 2006. The percentage of students reporting that it would be “wrong” or“very wrong” for someone their age to drink alcohol regularly decreased from 67.8 percent in 2000 to63.9 percent in 2004 and then rose to 66.7 percent in 2006.

The age of first using alcohol at least once a month decreased for Broward middle and high schoolstudents from 13.8 years in 2000 and 14.1 years in 2004 to 12.4 years in 2006 according to the FloridaYouth Substance Abuse Survey. However, further analysis reveals the sharp decline in 2006 was due tolower prevalence of use reported among high school students. The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveyrevealed that 28 percent of Broward high school students reported have their first drink of alcohol beforethe age of 13. These results are of particular concern in light of the findings from the NationalEpidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions as shown in Exhibit 11. Among the 43,089persons surveyed aged 18 and older, 47 percent of those who first drank at the age of 13 experienced analcohol dependency problem at sometime in their life as compared to 9 percent who had their first drinkat age 21.



Exhibit 11

Age of Onset andAlcohol Dependency

Aged 18 and Older

47% 45%

38%

32%28%

15%17%

11% 9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Age Began Drinking

Source: National Epidemiologic Survey onAlcohol and Related Conditions Sample = 43,093

%A

lcoh

ol

Dep

end

ent

Sub-state data by age cohorts from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) werereleased in 2007 providing local results for 350 areas in the United States including Broward County.The findings were prepared by combining 3 years of NSDUH results (2002-2004) to provide adequatesamples representative of the local areas. Exhibit 12 compares the rates among youth ages 12-17 yearsfor the nation, the State of Florida, and Broward County on three survey questions related to alcohol.The questions address prevalence rates of current, past month use of alcohol and binge alcohol use in thepast month, as well as the perception of great risk in having five or more drinks of an alcoholic beverageonce or twice a week. The Broward rates for all three questions were statistically similar to those forFlorida and the nation.



Exhibit 12

Percent of Youth Aged 12-17 Reporting A lcoho l UseUSA, F lor ida , and Bro ward Co unty

0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0U S A

F lo r id a

B r o w a r d

U S A 1 7 .6 1 0 . 8 3 8 .3

F lo r id a 1 7 .4 9 .6 3 9 .6

B ro w a r d 1 8 .9 9 .6 4 0 .3

P a s t M o n th

U s e

B in g e U s e

P a s t M o n t hG r e a t R is k

Sou rce: National Surveys on Dru g Use an d Health 2002-2004 Sub state Data

%o

f1

2-1

7Y

ea

rO

lds

Re

po

rtin

g

Young Adults Aged 18 to 25 Years

Exhibit 13 reveals significantly higher prevalence rates of any past month use and binge drinking amongyoung adults than youth while Broward young adults had slightly lower rates of any past month use andof binge drinking than the same age group in Florida and the nation. Perceived great risk of harm relatedto weekly binge drinking was higher in Broward County than the State and nation.Exhibit 13

P e rce n t o f Y o u n g A d u lts Ag e d 1 8 -2 5 R e p o rtin gA lc o h o l U s e U S A , F lo r id a , a n d B ro w a rd C o u n ty

0

1 0

2 0

3 0

4 0

5 0

6 0U S A

F lo rid a

B ro w ard

U S A 6 0.6 41 3 2 .3

F lo rida 5 9.3 39 3 7 .1

B ro w a rd 5 8.5 3 7 .3 3 9 .6

P a s t M on thU s e

B in ge U s eP a s t M o nth

G re at R is k

S ou rce : N a tio n a l S u rve ys o n D rug U se and H ea lth 2002 -2 00 4 Sub sta te D a ta

%o

f1

8-2

5Y

ea

rO

lds

Re

po

rtin

g



Adults Aged 26 Years and Older

Exhibit 14 reports that Broward adults aged 26 years and older had a similar rate of current alcohol useas local young adults. Rates of binge drinking were significantly lower for adults than young adults(Exhibit 13) locally, across Florida, and nationally while binge drinking rates were similar among adultsacross the three areas. The perception of great harm from weekly binge drinking was 2.4 percent higheramong Broward County adults than those nationally and slightly less for all of Florida.

Exhibit 14

Percent of Ad ults Ag ed 26 an d O lder R eportingAlcohol U se U S A, F lorid a, an d B row ard C ounty

0

10

20

30

40

50

60U S A

F lo rid a

B ro w ard

U S A 53.1 2 1 .3 43 .8

F lorida 54 .5 2 0 .5 46 .7

B row ard 57 .2 2 1 .5 46 .2

P as t M o nthU se

B inge U seP as t M onth

G reat R isk

S ource: N atio nal S urveys o n Drug U se and H ea lth 2002 -2004 S ubsta te Da ta

%A

ged

26

Yrs

.&

Old

er

Re

po

rtin

g

Across the Lifespan

Exhibit 15 combines youth, young adult, and adult alcohol rates from the NSDUH (Exhibits 12, 13, and14) to provide estimates of alcohol use and perception of harm from weekly binge drinking for thegeneral population. Broward residents reported higher rates of current alcohol use than those for all ofFlorida and the nation. Broward rates of binge drinking in the past month were similar to those for thenation and State. Likewise, Broward and State residents reported an identical rate of harm perceptionrelated to weekly binge alcohol use that was above the national rate. While there are variations acrossthe three areas, the relative similarity of these data indicates the endemic rather than epidemic nature ofalcohol abuse in the United States. Thus, there are not necessarily dramatic differences in the patterns ofalcohol use and abuse across communities in the United States.



Exhibit 15

Percent of Population Aged 12 and Above ReportingAlcohol Use USA, Florida, and Broward County

0

10

20

30

40

50

60USA

Florida

Broward

USA 50.4 22.8 41.7

Florida 51.5 21.6 44.9

Broward 53.7 22.1 44.9

Past Month

Use

Binge Use

Past MonthGreat Risk

Source: National Surveys on Drug Use and Health 2002-2004 Substate Data

%A

ge

d1

2a

nd

Ab

ove

Rep

ort

ing

Exhibit 16 reports on current use of alcohol and illicit drugs including the non-medical use ofmedications across the national population by age groups from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Useand Health. Alcohol use as shown on the striped bars rises from 1.9 percent at age 12 to 70.2 percent atage 21. Unlike illicit drug use that declines steadily after age 20, current alcohol use remains above 50percent for age groups through 59 years before declining to 38 percent of those aged 65 and older. Thusalcohol use spans across all generations.Exhibit 16

Past Month Alcohol or IllicitDrug Use by Age 12+

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

12-

13

14-

15

16-

17

18-

20

21-

25

26-

29

30-

34

35-

39

40-

44

45-

49

50-

54

55-

59

60-

64

65+

Illicit Drug

Alcohol

%Usin

gPastM

onth Source: 2005 NSDUH

1.9 %

Age 12

70.2 % at 2163.5 %

48 %

38 %

Age in Years

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2006



Alcohol-Related Consequences

Deaths

The 467 alcohol-related deaths in Broward County in 2006, represented an 11-percent increase from the419 such deaths in 2005. There were 326 alcohol-related deaths in 2004 and 324 in 2003. A review ofthe 2006 alcohol deaths is presented in exhibits 7-21. Males accounted for 77 percent of the decedentsand 76 percent were White, 18 percent were Black, and 5 percent were Hispanic. There were also andone Asian and three Native American alcohol-related decedents. Twenty-one of the deaths (or 4.5percent) were among underage drinkers aged 18-20 years, 28 decedents were between 21 and 24 years ofage, 37 were between 25 and 29, and 30 were between 30 and 34 years. The greatest number of alcoholdeaths occurred among those 45-54 years of age with 134 decedents, representing 29 percent of thealcohol-related deaths; 18 percent were aged 35-44 years, and 16 percent were aged 55-64. Those over64 years of age represented 12 percent of the alcohol-related deaths. The average age of the alcohol-related decedents was 46 years and 4 months and the mean age was 47 years.

Exhibit 17

Broward Alcohol Deaths 2006

by Gender n=467

Male

77%

Female

23%

Source: Broward County Medical Examiner’s Department



Exhibit 18


By Race/Ethnicity n=467

Black

18%

Hispanic

5%

White

76%

Source: Broward County Medical Examiner’s DepartmentExhibit 19


By Age n=467

134

85

30

37

21

56

76

28

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

>64 yrs

55-64 yrs

45-54 yrs

35-44 yrs

30-34 yrs

25-29 yrs

21-24 yrs

17-20 yrs

# of Alcohol Deaths




Exhibit 20 classifies the alcohol deaths in 2006 by manner of death. Natural causes accounted for 32percent of the alcohol deaths. Accidental (non-traffic) death was the manner for 29 percent of the cases.Accidental traffic deaths accounted for 14 percent. Suicide was attributed to 17 percent of the alcoholcases. It was also detected in 28 (or 6 percent) homicide cases. Eleven of the cases remainundetermined as to the manner of death. Chronic alcohol abuse was the primary cause for 11 of thealcohol-related deaths. Nine of the deaths were attributed to acute alcohol overdose.

A total of 83 alcohol death cases in 2006 were listed as multiple drug overdoses. Exhibit 21 shows thatnarcotic pain medications were reported in 36 (or 8 percent) of the alcohol deaths, benzodiazepines weredetected in 31 (or 7 percent), cocaine was in 27 (or 6 percent) of the alcohol deaths, and muscle relaxantswere found in 7 cases, while heroin was associated with 2 of the alcohol deaths.

Exhibit 20

Broward Alcohol Deaths 2006 By Manner of Death

134

64

79

11

28

151

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

ACCID

ENT

Non-T

raffi

c

ACCID

ENT

TRAFF

IC

SUIC

IDE

HOM

ICID

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NATU

RAL

Undet

erm

ined

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Exhibit 21

Broward Alcohol-Related Deaths 2006

Other Drugs Detected

15

2

7

31

36

27

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

NarcoticAnalgesic

Benzo's Cocaine MuscleRelaxant

Heroin Other Rx

#o

fD

rug

Men

tio

ns


Medical Emergencies

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) Live! system recorded information on alcohol-relatedemergency department cases from 7 Broward hospitals from January to September 2006 and from 8emergency departments in the last quarter of the year. Thus, the alcohol cases tracked by DAWN Live!are not a total or estimate of all the cases in the County, but do provide a sample of such cases fromwhich a profile of patients and problems may be reviewed. It is not appropriate to compare the numberof Dawn Live! cases from one time period to another because of differences in the sample of emergencydepartments reporting. DAWN tracks alcohol cases for adults only when alcohol is reported incombination with other drugs of abuse. DAWN also tracks alcohol-only ED cases for anyoneunder 21 years of age. Exhibits 22-24 reveal the demographics of the 3,630 patients in the sample ofthose who came into a Broward emergency room in 2006 for an alcohol–related case. Males accountedfor 65 percent and Whites for 69 percent, while Blacks represented 19 percent of the alcohol ED cases,and Hispanics accounted for 12 percent. Teens below the age of 18 accounted for 43 percent of the 552underage alcohol ED reports, while those aged 18 to 20 years accounted for 57 percent. Another drugin-combination with alcohol was found in 59 percent of the underage alcohol ED reports. Those of legaldrinking age, 21 years and older, represented 85 percent of the alcohol-related ED cases, with those aged35-44 comprising 30 percent of all the alcohol ED cases, the next largest groups were those aged 45 to54 years who accounted for 20 percent and those aged 21 to 29 comprising 18 percent.



Exhibit 22

Broward Alcohol Emergency Department

Cases 2006 By Gendern= 3,630

Female

35%

Male

65%

Source: US Dept. HHS, SAMHSA-Office of Applied Studies DAWN Live!

Exhibit 23

Broward Alcohol Emergency Department Cases

2006 By Race/Ethnicity n= 3,630

White

69%

Black

19%

Hispanic

12%




Exhibit 24

Broward Alcohol Emergency Department

Reports 2006 By Age

1

1

233

317

310

330

400

742

178

46

1072

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

5 yr & younger

6-11 years

12-17 years

18-20 years

21-24 years

25-29 years

30-34 years

35-44 years

45-54 years

55-64 years

65 years & older


Exhibits 25-26 classify the alcohol-related emergency department episodes by type of case and patientdisposition. Among the 3,630 cases in 2006, 58 percent were charted as substance abuse cases and anadditional 20 percent were listed as seeking detox. Overmedication, often in combination withprescription medication, was listed in 5 percent of the cases; while 6 percent were among those belowthe age of 21 years involving alcohol only. Suicide was the case type for 8 percent of the alcohol-related cases (Exhibit 25).

Among alcohol-related emergency department patients, 29 percent were referred to detox or treatment,19 percent were discharged to home, 37 percent were admitted to detox or treatment, a psychiatric unit,or other inpatient care, 9 percent were transferred to another facility, and 2 percent were releases to thepolice or jail (Exhibit 26).



Exhibit 25

Broward Alcohol Emergency Department Cases 2006

By Case Type n=3,630

281

723

225

89

194

9

1

2108

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Suicide attempt

Seeking detox

Under 21 Alcohol Only

Adverse reaction

Overmedication

Malicious poisoning

Accidental ingestion

Alcohol Abuse

Source: US Dept. HHS, SAMHSA-Office of Applied Studies DAWN Live!Exhibit 26

Broward Alcohol Emergency DepartmentReports 2006 by Patient Disposition n=3,630

79

22

626

114

0

17

7

179

332

527

1035

692

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Discharged Home

Released to police/jail

Referred to detox/treatment

Admitted to critical care/ICU

Admitted to detox/ treatment

Admitted to psychiatric unit

Admited to other inpatient

Transferred

Left against medical advice

Died

Other

Not Documented




Alcoholism Treatment

Annual data on addiction treatment admissions for the first six months of 2006 in Broward County areavailable from only the Broward Addiction Recovery Center (BARC). While these cases do notrepresent the total number of addiction treatment cases for the County, they do provide a significantsample of all cases. Among the 4,073 adult patients admitted to BARC during the first half of 2006, 58percent cited alcohol as either a primary, secondary, or tertiary drug of abuse. Of theses 2,381 alcoholmentions, 66 percent were as the primary substance, 25 percent listed alcohol as their secondary drug,and 9 percent of the alcohol mentions were as the tertiary drug of abuse (Exhibit 27). Nearly three-fourths or 73 percent of the alcohol clients cited another drug of abuse.

Exhibit 28 breaks out the number of BARC alcohol cases by age groups. The greatest number of alcoholadmissions (n=961) were among clients aged 40-49 years. The second highest number of alcoholadmissions (n=598) were among clients aged 30-39 years. Whites accounted for 64 percent of all thealcohol treatment mentions. Blacks accounted for 28 percent of all the alcohol treatment cases.Hispanics accounted for 8 percent of the alcohol cases (Exhibit 29).

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 92,492 Broward residents were in need of, butdid not receive treatment for alcohol abuse or dependency in the past year; 42,786 of them wereconsidered to be alcohol dependent.

Exhibit 27

1st Half 2006 BARCAlcohol Treatment Admissions

by Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary Drug n=2,381

Tertiary

9%

Primary

66%

Secondary

25%

Source: Broward Addiction Recovery Center



Exhibit 28

Source: Broward Addiction Recovery CenterExhibit29

1st Half 2006 BARC

Alochol Treatment Admissions

By Race/Ethnicity n=2,381

11

191

655

1535

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

White Black Hispanic

#A

lco

ho

lA

dm

issio

ns

Source: Broward Addiction Recovery Center

1st Half 2006 BARC Alcohol Admissions By Age n=2,381

11

73

389

961

598

212148

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

19-24 25-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

#A

lco

ho

lAd

mis

iso

ns

Age



Alcohol-Related CrimeExhibit 30 tracks the number of Driving-Under-the-Influence (DUI) and liquor law violation arrests inBroward County from 2000 through 2006. Broward DUI arrests totaled 4,530 in 2001 and declined to4,283 in 2002 before rising to 4,617 in 2003 and 4,987 DUI arrests during 2004. With major hurricanesin 2005 the number dropped to 3,964 and rose to 4,081 in 2006. Liquor law violation arrests in BrowardCounty totaled 3,242 arrests in 2001, 3,630 in 2002 and 3,574 in 2003. The number of liquor lawviolation arrests declined to 2,636 in 2004 and to 1,618 in 2005 then down to 1,548 in 2006.

The gender and age of DUI and liquor law violation arrests are available on a statewide basis but not atthe county level. Exhibit 31 shows the similar patterns in the gender and age groups of DUI arresteesfrom 2001 through 2006. Both DUI and liquor law violations are dominated by adult males. Likewise,among juveniles most arrestees for alcohol violations are males. Exhibit 32 reflects declines in LiquorLaw arrests from 2001 to 2006 among male and female juveniles and adult males while the number forfemale adults increased. Exhibit 33 identifies the number of DUI and Liquor Law Violations arrests bythe various police departments in Broward County during 2006. The Broward Sheriff Office made 24percent of the DUI arrests and 42 percent of the Liquor Law Violation arrests.Exhibit 30

Broward Alcohol Arrests 2001-2006

4,283

4,987

3,964 4,081

4,6174,530

15481,618

2,636

3,5743,6303,242

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

#o

fA

rre

sts

DUI

Liquor LawViolations

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Uniform Crime Reports Part 2A



Exhibit 31

Florida DUI Arrests by Gender, Youth, & Adults 2001-2006

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

#o

fA

rrests

Female Adult 11,461 11,862 11,460 11,206 11,531 11,413

Male Adult 48,329 48,166 45,068 44,119 45,679 43,477

Female Juvenile 98 145 97 111 91 93

Male Juvenile 450 401 351 369 270 295

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006


Exhibit 32

Florida Liquor Law Arrests 2001-2006

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

#o

fA

rrests

Female Adult 4,607 4,635 4,929 5,063 4,902 4,768

Male Adult 34,372 29,025 27,617 29,210 26,928 25,951

Female Juvenile 637 492 462 381 358 388

Male Juvenile 1,870 1,356 1,215 1,038 947 1,030

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006




Exhibit 33 Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Uniform Crime Reports Part 2A

Agency DUILiquor LawViolations

Broward County Total 4,081 1,548

Broward County Sheriffs Office 975 658

Dania Police Department 73 176

Deerfield Beach PoliceDepartment

175 151

Fort Lauderdale PoliceDepartment

43 8

Hallandale Police Department 16 9

Hollywood Police Department 307 43

Plantation Police Department 99 1

Pompano Beach PoliceDepartment

333 114

Pembroke Pines PoliceDepartment

76 26

Wilton Manors Police Department 20 1

Cooper City PD 38 21

Coconut Creek PD 112 6

Davie Police Department 217 41

Hillsboro Beach PoliceDepartment

8 0

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea PD 63 7

Lauderdale Lakes PD 33 11

Lauderhill PD 40 0

Lighthouse Point PoliceDepartment

4 0

Margate Police Department 110 28

Miramar Police Department 137 3

North Lauderdale PoliceDepartment

95 46

Oakland Park Police Department 392 82

Sea Ranch Lakes PoliceDepartment

0 0

Sunrise Police Department 63 3

Coral Springs Police Department 70 26

Pembroke Park PoliceDepartment

27 13

Tamarac Police Department 67 34

Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Airport PD 4 5

Parkland PD 24 3

Seminole Indian Reservation 66 14

Town of Southwest Ranches 6 0

Broward-DEP Div of Law Enforce 0 3

West Park Police Department 18 9

Broward-Division of InsuranceFraud

0 0

Broward-Florida Game Comm 7 0

Weston PD 48 5

FHP - Fort Lauderdale 306 0

Port Everglades PD 9 1

For inquiries regarding this report, please contact: James N. Hall, NSU Center for the Study &Prevention of Substance Abuse, (786) 242-8222, E-mail: [email protected]@aol.com

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