Alcohol Use

Skip To Content National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Illicit Drug Use Among Youths Who Used Cigarettes and Alcohol Report

December 28, 2001

Illicit Drug Use Among Youths Who Used Cigarettes and Alcohol

In Brief

  • In 2000, approximately 52 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 who were daily cigarette smokers, and 66 percent of youths who were heavy drinkers, were also past month users of illicit drugs

  • Youths who were daily cigarette smokers or heavy drinkers were more likely to use illicit drugs than either daily smokers or heavy drinkers from older age groups

  • Youths who were past month users of both cigarettes and alcohol were more than twice as likely to have used illicit drugs than youths who used only cigarettes or only alcohol

The 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) enables an examination of illicit drug use among youths aged 12 to 17 who used cigarettes and alcohol. The illicit drugs included in the survey were marijuana, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens (including LSD and PCP), inhalants, or any prescription-type psychotherapeutic used nonmedically.

Prevalence of Cigarette and Alcohol Use Among Youths
In the 2000 NHSDA, approximately 13 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 reported past month use of cigarettes, and more than 4 percent reported smoking daily during the past month (Table 1). These percentages translate to approximately 3 million past month smokers, including almost 1 million daily smokers among youths. Approximately 16 percent of youths had used alcohol within the past month, including 10 percent reporting binge use (had five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days) and 3 percent reporting heavy alcohol use (had five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days). These percentages translate to almost 4 million past month alcohol users, including almost 2.5 million binge alcohol users, and 0.6 million heavy alcohol users among youths.

Table 1. Percentages and Estimated Numbers (in Thousands) of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Past Month Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol: 2000

Figure 1. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 or Older Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Level of Past Month Cigarette Use and Age Group: 2000

Table 1. Percentages and Estimated Numbers (in Thousands) of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Past Month Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol: 2000 Figure 1. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 or Older Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Level of Past Month Cigarette Use and Age Group: 2000
Illicit Drug Use Among Youth Smokers and Drinkers
Approximately 52 percent of youths who had smoked cigarettes daily within the past month were also past month users of illicit drugs (Figure 1). Past month illicit drug use was also reported by 39 percent of youths who had smoked but who were not daily smokers and by 5 percent of youths who had not smoked within the past month. Youths who smoked daily were more likely than older smokers to be past month users of illicit drugs. More than half of 12 to 17 year olds who were daily smokers had used illicit drugs within the past month compared with approximately 1 in 3 daily smokers aged 18 to 25 and 1 in 10 daily smokers aged 26 or older. The rate of illicit drug use was similar between daily and less than daily smokers for persons aged 18 to 25 (31 and 28 percent, respectively) and those aged 26 or older (10 percent for both types of smokers).

Approximately 66 percent of youths who drank alcohol heavily within the past month were also past month users of illicit drugs (Figure 2). Past month illicit drug use was also reported by 41 percent of binge drinkers who were not heavy drinkers, 20 percent of alcohol users who were not binge drinkers, and 4 percent of youths who had not used alcohol. As was the case with smoking, youths who drank alcohol heavily were more likely than older heavy drinkers to have used illicit drugs within the past month. Approximately two out of three heavy drinkers aged 12 to 17 had used illicit drugs within the past month compared with fewer than half of heavy drinkers aged 18 to 25 and one out of five heavy drinkers aged 26 or older.

Youths who had used both cigarettes and alcohol within the past month were more than twice as likely to have used illicit drugs within the past month compared with youths who had used only cigarettes or only alcohol (Figure 3). Youths who used only cigarettes or only alcohol were more than 7 times as likely to be past month users of illicit drugs compared with youths who had used neither cigarettes nor alcohol.

Figure 2. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 or Older Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Past Month Alcohol Use and Age Group: 2000

Figure 3. Percentages of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Past Month Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol: 2000

Figure 2. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 or Older Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Past Month Alcohol Use and Age Group: 2000 Figure 3. Percentages of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Past Month Illicit Drug Use,** by Past Month Use of Cigarettes and Alcohol: 2000

Table and Figure Notes

* "Binge" Alcohol Use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 1 day in the past 30 days. By "occasion" is meant at the same time or within a couple hours of each other. Heavy Alcohol Use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days.

**Illicit Drug Use indicates use at least once of marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens (including LSD and PCP), inhalants, or any prescription-type psychotherapeutic used nonmedically.

Source (table and figures): SAMHSA 2000 NHSDA.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2000 data are based on information obtained from nearly 72,000 persons aged 12 or older. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence.

The NHSDA Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Information and data for this issue are based on the following publication and statistics:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2001). Summary of findings from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Series: H-13, DHHS Publication No. SMA 01-3615). Rockville, MD: Author.

Also available on-line:

Additional tables 2.2A and 2.2B from http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2kdetailedtabs/Vol_1_Part_2/V1P2.htm and

6.8A, 6.8B, 6.9B, 6.10B, 6.12A, 6.12B, 6.13B, and 6.14B from http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2kdetailedtabs/Vol_1_Part_4/V1P4.htm.

Additional tables available upon request.
The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this fact sheet may be downloaded from Other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are also available on-line on the OAS home page: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov

This page was last updated on December 31, 2008.