What to know
These resources are intended to help professionals in the United States to understand, measure, and reduce the impact of excessive alcohol use and related harms in states and communities.
Resources
Spotlight
Fact Sheets
State Fact Sheets: Addressing Excessive Alcohol Use
These fact sheets highlight the public health problem of excessive alcohol use in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Each fact sheet also describes current state alcohol policies and proven strategies for reducing excessive alcohol use.
What Works: Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption
This Community Guide fact sheet summarizes the public health strategies that are effective in preventing excessive alcohol use and related harms. The U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends these strategies based on reviews of the available science.
Measurement Tools and Guides
Alcohol Outlet Density Measurement Tools
CDC developed tools to help public health professionals measure the number and distance between places that sell alcohol, called alcohol outlet density. Since alcohol outlet density is a key risk factor for excessive drinking, these data can inform prevention efforts at state and local levels.
Guide to Estimating Alcohol-Related Hospitalizations in the United States Using ICD-10-CM Codes
The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, in partnership with CDC, developed a guide on how to estimate hospitalizations related to alcohol use. These data can help show the impact of alcohol use on health.
Reports
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health
This report describes how individuals, families, government, and health care professionals can all play a role in reducing the impact of alcohol and other drug use. By using comprehensive prevention strategies, we can build supportive environments to improve the public’s health, along with efforts to manage and treat substance use disorders.
Policy Briefs
Age 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age
Minimum legal drinking age laws specify the legal age when an individual can buy alcohol. The minimum legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years. This fact sheet shows how these laws save lives and protect health.