Substance Use among Black Young Adults

Though the use of drugs and alcohol continues to be an issue in the African American community, a new report from SAMHSA reveals some promising data about black young adults age 18 to 25.

Rates of past-month and binge alcohol use were considerably lower among this population than the national average of young adults (48.6 versus 61.1 percent and 25.3 versus 41.6 percent, respectively).

In addition, past-month illicit drug use among black young adults was slightly lower than the national average (18.7 versus 19.7 percent).

This study is part of a series of reports examining substance use patterns among different ethnic, racial, and demographic groups in America.

To find out more statistics about African Americans and substance use, download Substance Use among Black Adults at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/174/174SubUseBlackAdultsHTML.pdf.