Alcohol and Other Drugs

Fact Sheets and Data

Minnesota Specific Data: Substance Use in Minnesota: A Minnesota State Epidemiological Profile The Minnesota State Epidemiological Profile was created under the supervision of the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) with funding from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD).

The Profile has been created to summarize and characterize consumption patterns and consequences related to the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) in Minnesota.

The Human and Economic Cost of Alcohol Use in Minnesota
Alcohol Cost Fact Sheet
In 2011, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Human Services State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup contracted with the Minnesota Institute of Public Health (MIPH) to estimate the alcohol-related costs of health care services, productivity effects/lost earnings and social effects incurred by the state of Minnesota.

The Minnesota Student Survey is conducted every three years among three populations of students in Minnesota public schools:

  • students in regular public schools, including charter schools and tribal schools (grades 6, 9, and 12 only)
  • students in alternative schools and Area Learning Centers (all grades)
  • students in juvenile correctional facilities (all grades)

The survey asks questions about activities, experiences, and behaviors. Topics covered include tobacco, alcohol and drug use, school climate, physical activity, violence and safety, connections with school and family, health, and other topics. Questions about sexual activity are asked only of high school students. The survey is administered jointly by the Minnesota Departments of Education, Health, Human Services, and Public Safety.

CDC Alcohol Website –  the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintain a website on alcohol and public health. The website contains fact sheets with national data on alcohol, alcohol prevention resources, and the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) software which generates estimates of alcohol-related deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) due to alcohol consumption. State level data on alcohol-related deaths is available in ARDI https://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/ardi/Homepage.asp    

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors of adults in the United States yearly since 1984.  

National Studies

Monitoring the Future is an annual national survey of secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Each year, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. In addition, annual follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation. The survey asks question about substance use, perceived risk, disapproval and availability of alcohol,tobacco and other drugs.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults. The YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, territorial, tribal, and local surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments. The YRBSS is not administered in Minnesota statewide.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides yearly national data on the use of alcohol, tobacco, illicit and non-medical prescription drugs in the United States.

OTS researchers annually produce Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts. This detailed report summarizes all sorts of information in regards to crashes: who, what, where, when and why. In addition, it breaks out information regarding the following: alcohol, seat belt use, motorcycles, trucks, pedestrians, bicycles, school buses and trains.