Percent Distribution of the Drinking Levels of Males 18 Years of Age and Older

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I found the following database to be interesting and intriguing. The chart found on this webpage depicts the percent distribution of the drinking levels of males 18 years of age and older according to selected characteristcs. This chart was updated in February of 2004 and was calculated by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The information on this webpage is pertinent to the years 1997 through 2002. The webpage is: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/databases/dkpat26.htm. The following sources were used to compute this chart: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 1997–2002. Data from the CDC ftp site (ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Datasets/NHIS). I was surprised while viewing this chart that in 2000, 36% of 18-24 year old males abstained, or according to the definition of the word posted on the site, had fewer than twelve drinks in there lifetime, or no drinks in the past year. In 2001, the percentage of abstainers dropped by 5.4%, and by 2002, there was a total difference of 6.6% from 2000 to 2002. This might not seem like a large jump at the present, but i would presume if the percent change continued on this path over the next ten years, a significant trend could be established. Another factor that would play a large role is how many men offered there personnel information. I understand that at least 30 respondents were interviewed, but there is no clear number posted on the website. Its also interesting that white, non hispanics had the highest percentage for heavy drinkers out of hispanics, white-non hispanics, black, non-hispanic, and other non-hispanics. Another interesting point that was clear was that the average percentage for men between the ages of 18-24 who were light drinkers for the years 1997-2002 was 40.37%. The average percentage for men between the ages of 25-34 who were light drinkers for the same years was 49.1%. In 2002, males 18-24 filled the "Light Drinker" category 39.1%. The same year, males 25-34 filled the same category with over half of all participants in this study being light drinkers, or 50.6%. In case anyone is curious about the percent distribution of the drinking levels of females 18 years of age and older, I have listed the following link: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/databases/dkpat27.htm There are many interesting trends that can be found when one studys all the data, and anyone is welcome to post any positive comments.