Study Shows American Indians and Alaska Natives Have Higher Rates of Alcohol Use and Illicit Drug Use Disorders

Substance Use and Substance Disorders among American Indians and Alaska Natives shows that 60.8 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives and 65.8 percent of other racial groups used alcohol in the past year, that 10.7 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives reported having a past-year alcohol use disorder compared with 7.6 percent of other racial groups and that 5.0 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives had a past-year illicit drug use disorder compared with 2.9 percent of other racial groups.  American Indians and Alaska Natives also had higher rates than members of other racial groups for past-year marijuana use (13.5 percent vs. 10.6 percent), cocaine use (3.5 percent vs. 2.4 percent), and disorders involving hallucinogen use (2.7 percent vs. 1.7 percent).  However, rates of past-year heroin use and past-year nonmedical use of pain relievers, tranquilizers, and sedatives were similar for American Indians and Alaska Natives and members of other racial groups.  All findings are annual averages based on combined 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data. 

“Tragically, American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to have higher rates of substance use disorders than other racial groups within the United States,” says Terry L. Cline, Ph.D., SAMHSA Administrator.  “While improvements in some areas of substance use have been realized, such as decreased alcohol use in the past year, we intend to keep working to ensure that culturally appropriate substance abuse treatment and native healing approaches can bring help where it is so badly needed.”