Statistics

Underage drinking is widespread in Georgia. Approximately 296,000 underage customers drink each year in Georgia. In 2013, Georgia students in grades 9 to 12 reported the following:4 • 59.2% had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life. • 18.1% had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13. • 27.9% had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasions in the past 30 days. • 13.3% had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (binge drinking) in the past 30 days.

In 2012, an estimated 37 homicides; 16,000 nonfatal violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault; 31,700 property crimes including burglary, larceny, and car theft; and 594,000 public order crimes including vandalism, disorderly conduct, loitering, and curfew violations were attributable to underage drinking. • In 2011, an estimated 8 alcohol-involved fatal burns, drownings, and suicides were attributable to underage drinking.

What you need to know now The U.S. 200 percent prescription opioid overdose (OD) deaths increase since 2000 125 million Americans who reported misusing prescription pain relievers in the past year 80 percent of heroin users reported using prescription opioids for non-medical reasons before beginning to use heroin Georgia 549 opioid drug ODs in 2015 29 counties where drug OD rates outpace U.S. average 11 Georgia ranks among top 11 states with most prescription opioid OD deaths.

Opioids, primarily prescription pain relievers and heroin, are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Of the 1,307 drug overdose deaths in 2015 in Georgia, 900 or 68 percent were due to opioid overdoses including heroin (Figure 2). Further, a statistically significant increase in the drug overdose death rate occurred from 2013 to 2014, and overdose deaths tripled between 1999 and 2013 in Georgia.