IDPH releases first-ever report on alcohol use in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued its first-ever comprehensive report on how alcohol is used in Illinois. 

• Nearly 23 percent of Illinois high schoolers reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, while more than 11 percent acknowledged binge drinking (defined as consuming four or more drinks within a couple of hours for females, five or more for males).
• Among high schoolers, females were more likely to acknowledge both drinking and binge drinking than males (drinking was reported by more than 28 percent of females and 17 percent of males, while binge drinking was reported by 15 percent of females and eight percent of males).
• Among adults, 57 percent of respondents said they had consumed at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, while more than 18 percent acknowledged binge drinking within that same time frame. Binge drinking was more common among younger adults (25 percent of the 18-24 age group, and 26.5 percent of those age 25-44).
• While among teens, females were more likely to acknowledge drinking and binge drinking, the reverse was true among adults: for males, nearly 62 percent reported drinking in the past 30 days and nearly 24 percent reported binge drinking, while for females, the percentages were 50 percent and nearly 13 percent, respectively).
• Both alcohol consumption and binge drinking rates increased as income levels increased. For Illinoisans making more than $75,000 a year, 69 percent reported drinking in the last 30 days, while over 22 percent reported binge drinking. For those making less than $15,000 a year, the rates were 35 percent and 16 percent.
• LGBTQ+ individuals were more likely to report binge drinking in the past 30 days (nearly 23 percent) than heterosexual persons (17 percent).
• The percentage of people killed in motor vehicle crashes where a driver had alcohol in their bloodstream has risen since 2019. In 2022, the most recent year cited in the report, 37 percent of fatal crashes involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least .01; five percent involved BAC between .01 and .07, and 32 percent involved a driver with a BAC of .08 or higher, the legal limit for driving under the influence in Illinois. That total is up from 33 percent in 2019.
• From 2020-2023, more than 2,300 deaths statewide were from causes directly attributable to chronic alcohol use, such as alcoholic liver disease and alcohol dependency syndrome. More than 2,000 additional deaths were from causes “indirectly associated” with chronic alcohol use, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and liver cancer.
• Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease varied widely by region, with the Peoria region (west-central Illinois) having the highest rate at 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people, more than double the lowest rate, in the Westchester region (greater Chicago area), which had 2.3 deaths per 100,000 people.