D.C. Has a Serious Alcohol Problem

Since the banning of chilled single beers is currently a hot topic in our neighborhood, I want to pass on to you some of the facts and ideas put forth in "Drug Strategies: Facing Facts, Drugs and the Future of Washington, DC." This in-depth 1999 study by the nonprofit research institute Drug Strategies reports on all drugs, but I will focus on those findings related to alcohol.

Researchers found that heavy drinking among adults in D.C. is 50 percent more prevalent than it is nationwide. They defined heavy drinking as five or more drinks in a day, four or more times per month.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that on average, in 1995, 3.89 gallons of pure alcohol were consumed per person in D.C. That represents nearly three six-packs of beer per week for every man, woman and child in D.C. It should come as no surprise to anyone that our alcohol-related mortality is double the national rate.

The study's findings on the rate of alcohol use was verified by the D.C. 2000 Household Survey on Substance Abuse, conducted by the D.C. Department of Health. That survey found that in Ward 6, 83.4 percent of us reported having a drink in our lifetime, and nearly half (46.4%) of us had a drink in the previous month. I think that the most scary finding of the Department of Health's survey is that one in every three kids between the ages of 12-17 have used alcohol in their lifetime. Seventeen percent had reported drinking the previous month. It's illegal to drink alcohol in D.C. before the age of 21.

In 1998, D.C. had a licensed liquor store for every 1,950 residents. In Ward 6, we had 206 licensed outlets: 111 of them were liquor or convenience stores and the other 95 were taverns or restaurants, according to the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. More recent numbers are difficult to come by, but it is worth noting that the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration issued 542 new licenses between October 2002 and May 2003. During that period, the agency revoked only one license.

The report also points out that D.C.'s alcohol excise tax rate is among the lowest in the country. For mixed drinks, it has been 1.8 cents since 1978. If the excise tax was indexed to inflation alone, it would be 4 cents.

In 1999, we spent $42.45 per capita on all kinds of drug treatment and prevention, while we spent $1,257 per capita for police, courts and jails. There is a close connection between crime and alcohol, and we need to rethink our approach to this problem. In September 2003, the city issued the First Citywide Comprehensive Substance Abuse Strategy for the District of Columbia. Hopefully this will lead to a more effective strategy in dealing with alcohol and other drug abuse.

For more information, check out 1) Drug Strategies: Facing The Facts, Drugs and the Future of Washington, DC at http://www.drugstrategies.org/acrobat/WashingtonDC99.pdf; 2) the First Citywide Comprehensive Substance Abuse Strategy for the District of Columbia at http://dchealth.dc.gov/services/administration_offices/apr/pdf /dcstrategy2003_10_15_03.shtm; and 3) Updating the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse at www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/economic-2000/alcoholcost.PDF.

Many thanks to Dawn Kopecki (100 block of 15th St. NE) for finding these resources. §