. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jun 1.

Published in final edited form as: Am J Psychiatry. 2021 Jan 21;178(6):548–559. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20050610

Table 4:

Association of WHO risk drinking level with health conditions, 2001–2002 (NESARC) and 2012–2013 (NESARC-III)

	2001–2002^a				2012–2013^a

	Prevalence^b of condition		Prevalence difference^c		Prevalence^b of condition		Prevalence difference^c

	%	SE	%	95% CI	%	SE	%	95% CI
*Alcohol dependence*
Very high risk	43.4	2.49	40.4	35.56, 45.24	54.6	2.45	49.7	44.90, 54.50
High risk	24.4	2.11	21.4	17.24, 25.56	36.9	2.35	32.0	27.40, 36.61
Moderate risk	15.3	1.07	12.3	10.21, 14.40	25.0	1.43	20.1	17.30, 22.90
Low risk	3.0	0.14	reference		4.9	0.19	reference

*Alcohol use disorder*^d
Very high risk	56.6	2.77	47.7	42.29, 53.11	70.4	2.32	57.8	53.25, 62.35
High risk	40.9	2.24	32.0	27.55, 36.45	53.9	2.38	41.3	36.56, 46.04
Moderate risk	33.2	1.52	24.3	21.40, 27.20	42.3	1.41	29.8	26.92, 32.68
Low risk	8.9	0.25	reference		12.6	0.34	reference
*Any drug dependence*^e
Very high risk	5.6	0.99	5.0	3.06, 6.94	7.7	0.96	6.1	4.24, 7.96
High risk	1.1	0.39	0.6	−0.18, 1.38	4.2	0.79	2.6	1.05, 4.15
Moderate risk	1.2	0.30	0.6	0.01, 1.19	2.9	0.38	1.2	0.42, 1.98
Low risk	0.6	0.07	reference		1.7	0.13	reference
*Any drug use disorder*^d,e
Very high risk	13.0	1.48	11.0	8.08, 13.92	17.4	1.62	13.1	9.96, 16.24
High risk	5.7	0.98	3.7	1.84, 5.56	11.1	1.23	6.8	4.37, 9.23
Moderate risk	4.7	0.74	2.8	1.39, 4.21	7.9	0.70	3.6	2.23, 4.97
Low risk	2.0	0.12	reference		4.3	0.19	reference
*SF-12 functional impairment*
Very high risk	21.9	2.24	13.0	8.57, 17.43	25.2	1.75	11.9	8.37, 15.43
High risk	12.0	1.59	3.1	0.01, 6.20	16.5	1.52	3.1	0.02, 6.18
Moderate risk	11.4	1.05	2.6	0.54, 4.66	13.8	0.99	0.4	−1.62, 2.42
Low risk	8.9	0.23	reference		13.3	0.33	reference

*Liver disease*
Very high risk	3.4	0.98	2.9	0.98, 4.82	3.1	0.85	2.2	0.51, 3.89
High risk	0.9	0.37	0.4	−0.33, 1.13	2.3	0.80	1.4	−0.17, 2.97
Moderate risk	0.6	0.28	0.2	−0.35, 0.75	1.1	0.30	0.2	−0.43, 0.83
Low risk	0.5	0.06	reference		0.9	0.09	reference
*Any depressive/anxiety disorder*^f
Very high risk	25.8	2.16	9.2	4.95, 13.45	29.8	1.87	7.1	3.47, 10.73
High risk	19.5	1.92	2.9	−0.84, 6.64	24.7	1.78	2.0	−1.57, 5.57
Moderate risk	17.6	1.25	1.0	−1.45, 3.45	22.4	1.22	−0.3	−2.81, 2.21
Low risk	16.6	0.36	reference		22.7	0.47	reference
*Any depressive/anxiety disorder^f, no substance or illness induced*
Very high risk	24.2	2.13	8.2	4.03, 12.37	28.8	1.80	7.1	3.47, 10.73
High risk	18.6	1.85	2.7	−0.91, 6.31	23.6	1.74	1.9	1.61, 5.41
Moderate risk	17.2	1.25	1.2	−1.25, 3.65	21.3	1.20	−0.4	2.85, 2.05
Low risk	16.0	0.36	reference		21.7	0.45	reference

CI = confidence interval

2001–2002 data from NESARC survey (N=26,655); 2012–2013 data from NESARC-III survey (N=25,659)

adjusted for sample weights and sociodemographic covariates (gender, age, education, race/ethnicity, health insurance, and current smoking)

Prevalence in each risk level minus prevalence in the reference risk level (low) indicates the association at each survey. Prevalence differences whose 95% CI do not include 0 are statistically significant at p<.05 and are bolded.

abuse or dependence

for marijuana, cocaine, heroin, painkillers (prescription opioids), sedative/tranquilizers, hallucinogens, stimulants, inhalants, and club drugs

includes anxiety (panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia/social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder) and depression (dysthymia/persistent depressive disorder, major depression), DSM-IV for 2001–2002, DSM-5 for 2012–2013

Note that the prevalence and prevalence differences are rounded, such that subtracting the values may not yield the exact difference reported.