Health - Alcohol, Tobacco, & Other Drugs

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  Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs

What We Measured:

• Adult Alcohol & Drug Arrests
• Adult Alcohol Use
• Adult Tobacco Use
• Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities
• Community Attitudes Toward Smoking
• Juvenile Alcohol & Drug Arrests
• Perinatal Alcohol and Tobacco Use
• Substance Abuse Treatment
• Youth Alcohol, Tobacco, & Other Drugs
• Youth Attitudes Toward Smoking

• Health Risk Factors - Factors that may contribute to poor health include obesity, poor dietary habits, tobacco use, drinking & driving, alcohol consumption, and the lack of sufficient exercise and use of seatbelts. These factors, individually or in combination, place people at risk for a variety of health problems, such as injury, disease, and death. (Health District of Northern Larimer County, Community Health Survey, 2004)
• Secondhand Smoke - Findings on survey respondents' attitudes toward secondhand smoke and other community concerns. (Health District of Northern Larimer County, Community Health Survey, 2004)

Highlights:

• Colorado and Larimer County showed both increases and decreases in the percentage of smokers per category from 2001 to 2005. As the Colorado Tobacco Attitudes and Behavior Survey (TABS) has only been conducted twice, it is uncertain whether these are long-term trends. (Community Attitudes Toward Smoking)
• Alcohol related offenses are consistently the most common reason for adult arrests. From 2003 to 2007, the overall number of adult arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol declined by 1.3 arrests per 1,000 in the 8th Judicial District. During the same time there was a decrease of 1.3 arrests per 1,000 in the rate of arrests involving narcotics. (Adult Alcohol & Drug Arrests)
• From 1998 to 2005, percentages of Larimer County and Colorado adults participating in binge drinking and chronic drinking remained fairly stable, according to a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment survey. (Adult Alcohol Use)
• In 2004-2005, smoking rates in both Larimer County and Colorado increased by a small percentage (Larimer County: 121 out of 654, Colorado: 2,218 out of 11,825 surveyed). More data are needed to determine whether this is a long-term trend. (Adult Tobacco Use)
• Between 1998 and 2007, alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Larimer County have fluctuated with the peak occurring in 2001. In 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2007, Larimer County achieved the national standard of 9.0 (per 100,000) alcohol-related traffic fatalities set by Healthy People 2010. (Alcohol Related Traffic Fatalities)
• For juveniles, alcohol and drug arrests comprised approximately one third of all yearly arrests from 2003 t0 2007. In 1999, a new trend began: the percent of juvenile alcohol and drug crime arrests exceeded property crime arrests. (Juvenile Alcohol & Drug Arrests)
• In 2008, Larimer County and Colorado reported the highest number of treatment admissions were for alcohol abuse, averaging 40% of all admissions. (Substance Abuse Treatment)
• From 2002 to 2006, an average of 8.6% pregnant women in Larimer County consumed alcohol during the last three months of their pregnancy. For that same period, locally, an average of 10.4% of pregnant women smoked. (Perinatal Alcohol and Tobacco Use)
• In 2002, youth in Larimer County School Districts were more likely to use alcohol than to use marijuana and/or cigarettes. Among the three districts, Poudre School District had the highest percentage of 10th and 12th grade students using alcohol, and it was also higher than the state average. Poudre School District also had the highest percentage of 10th and 12th graders who reported binge drinking. A greater percentage of 10th and 12th grade students from Thompson and Poudre School Districts used marijuana than did statewide. The most surprising data was the percentage of students who reported driving while drunk, including students under 16 who do not possess driver's licenses. (Youth Alcohol, Tobacco, & Other Drugs: Use, Behavior, Perceptions & Attitudes)
• Smoking rates among middle and high school smokers decreased between 2001 and 2006. Quit attempts among high school students increased, with females attempting to quit more often than males. (Youth Attitudes Toward Smoking)

• Overall, 24% of respondents use tobacco — cigarettes, cigars or chew. In 2001, 17% of respondents reported that they smoke cigarettes—approximately the same percentage as in 1998 and 1995 (Health District Community Health Survey, 2004)
• In 2001, respondents reported consuming an average of 4.3 drinks per week. Average alcohol consumption has not increased since 1998 but is significantly higher than in 1995 when the average was three drinks per week. (Health District Community Health Survey, 2004)
• In 2001, 10% of respondents reported needing smoking cessation services, while only 1% reported getting those services. (Health District Community Health Survey, 2004)

Related Studies:

• Research Findings on College Drinking and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age [pdf], According to this 2008 report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "83% of college students drink, and 41% report drinking five or more drinks on an occasion in the past 2 weeks."
• Report on Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities in the United States, 2006 [pdf] summarizes alcohol-related fatality statistics and sentencing strategies for "hardcore" drunk drivers. A total of 226 alcohol-related traffic fatalities were reported for Colorado in 2006, a decrease of 28.1% from 1996.
• Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses - United States, 1997-2001 - productivity losses are estimated to cost the nation about $92 billion, up about $10 billion from 1995-1999 losses. (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, July 2005)
• 2006 National Youth Tobacco Survey [pdf] (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, May 2005)
• United States Department of Health and Human Services: National Survey on Drug Use & Health, 2002-2003 (February 2005) - contains state level data.
• Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey - information about illicit drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. (Department of Health and Human Services, December 2007)
• Alcohol-Attributable Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost (September 2004) - The Centers for Disease Control report that excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
• 2007 National Survey on Drug Use & Health [pdf] - An annual report by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with information about adult and youth use of alcohol and drugs.
• Alcohol Use Among Pregnant Women and Recent Mothers: 2002-2007 [pdf] (September 2008) - This report by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) examines characteristics, such as primary substance of abuse, age and marital status, of pregnant women seeking treatment.
• National Institutes of Health, March 2004 News Release: - an NIH study finds that babies born to mothers who drink alcohol heavily may suffer permanent nerve damage.
• Neuroscience of Psychoactive Substance Use and Dependence [pdf] (World Health Organization 2004) - the World Health Organization provides a comprehensive overview of the biological factors related to substance use and dependence. The report also addresses the social and environmental factors which influence substance use and dependence, the neuroscience aspects of interventions and, in particular, the ethical implications of new biological intervention strategies.
• The Costs and Effectiveness of Drug Abuse Programs in the State of Colorado [pdf] (October 2006)
• Fort Collins Build A Generation Risk Assessment 2001 [pdf] - this report describes risk factors facing Fort Collins area youth.
• Mental Illness and Substance Abuse in Larimer County, 2001
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Substance Abuse Chartbook 2001 [pdf] - this report illustrates how substance abuse plagues the nation as its number one health problem in deaths, illnesses and disabilities. It tracks smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use over several decades, and documents early use among young people.
• TEAM Fort Collins 2002 Community Substance Abuse Profile Report - Facing Facts in Fort Collins: Mobilizing our Community Around Substance Use and Abuse. [pdf]

• Crime
• Larimer County Compass Report 2009: Health/Mental Health Care Systems [pdf]
• Mental Health & Emotional Well-being
• Physical Health

Additional Resources:

Prevention, Education & Statistics

• Colorado Department of Health & Human Services: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

- Colorado Health Information Dataset (COHID)
• Colorado State University Center for Drug and Alcohol Education
• Larimer County Health & Environment
• National Library of Medicine - includes information about all medical conditions including substance abuse.
• Poudre School District
• Team Fort Collins
• United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:

- Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Statistics
- Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
- Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
• Healthy People 2010 — National health targets and objectives.
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Treatment & Referral

• Larimer Center for Mental Health - offers specialized addiction treatment services to residents of Larimer County.
• Turning Point — Larimer County youth residential treatment center.
• 2-1-1 is a non-profit information and referral agency serving the residents of Larimer County, Colorado.
• Additional local health resources via the FortNet website.
• Connections is a partnership of the Health District and the Larimer Center for Mental Health that provides mental health and substance abuse resources and referrals.
• HealthInfoSource.com — link to Larimer County mental health and substance abuse information.
• Addiction Resource Guide — comprehensive online directory of addiction treatment facilities.

Law Enforcement

• Berthoud Police Department
• Colorado State University Police
• Estes Park Police Department
• Fort Collins Police Department
• Larimer County Drug Task Force
• Larimer County Sheriff
• Loveland Police Department

Links to national resources relating to substance abuse prevention and treatment:

• Join Together Online a project of the Boston University School of Public Health, is a national resource for communities working to reduce substance abuse and gun violence.
• NIAAA Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Science Database (ETOH)
• Prevline short for 'Prevention On Line' is a product of SAMHSA (Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration). SAMHSA is the Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses.
• SALIS: Substance Abuse Libraries And Information Specialist is an international association of individuals and organizations with special interests in the exchange and dissemination of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) information. It includes information about books, links to searchable databases, journals and newsletters.
• SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies includes statistics, information on proven practices, research and many other items relating to prevention and treatment of substance abuse and mental illness.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive:. The goal of the archive is to provide ready access to substance abuse and mental health research data and to promote the sharing of these data among researchers, academics, policymakers, service providers, and others, thereby increasing the use of the data in understanding and assessing substance abuse and mental health problems and the impact of related treatment systems. The data archive is also intended to expand the variety of media on which data are available and ensure that data are in user friendly format.
• The Treatment Improvement Exchange is a resource sponsored by the Division of State and Community Assistance of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment to provide information exchange between CSAT staff and State and local alcohol and substance abuse agencies. The TIE Contract is funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.