The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued its first-ever comprehensive report on how alcohol is used, and sometimes misused, by Illinois residents. Data from the report can be used by state and local health officials to develop targeted programs and interventions to address health-related concerns linked to alcohol use.
The report, entitled “Alcohol Use in Illinois,” collects and analyzes data from multiple sources, including IDPH’s own Illinois Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and Illinois Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YBRS).
The report found that nearly 23 percent of Illinois high schools reported consuming at least one alcoholic beverage in the past 30 days, while more than 11 percent acknowledged binge drinking.
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.
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.
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 percent.
From 2020-2023, more than 2,300 deaths statewide were from causes directly connected to chronic alcohol use, such as alcoholic liver disease and alcohol dependency syndrome. Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease varied widely by region.
