Indiana Drug and Alcohol Statistics

Statistical Data on Drugs in Indiana

Indiana faces a significant substance abuse crisis that affects thousands of residents across all age groups and demographics. The state has experienced a dramatic escalation in drug-related problems over the past two decades, with overdose deaths nearly doubling between 2010 and 2017, and continuing to rise through 2022. The opioid epidemic, particularly involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, has been the primary driver of this crisis, accounting for the majority of overdose fatalities. Beyond opioids, Indiana struggles with widespread marijuana use, methamphetamine abuse, and polysubstance use patterns. The crisis extends beyond health impacts to encompass significant economic costs, criminal justice implications, and profound effects on families and children throughout the state.

Drug Overdose Deaths

Annual Death Rates

• 2022: 2,682 overdose deaths (39 per 100,000 residents)
• 2021: 2,811 overdose deaths (43 per 100,000 residents)
• 2020: 2,316 overdose deaths (36.6 per 100,000 residents)
• 2019: 1,809 deaths
• 2017: 1,809 deaths
• 2010: 923 deaths

Indiana’s overdose death rate has increased 2.5 times since 2013 and 60% since 2018.

Key Overdose Metrics

Metric	Indiana	National Comparison
Annual OD Deaths	1,699	2.42% of nationwide deaths
OD Death Rate	26.6 per 100,000	28.50% above national average
Percentage of All Deaths	2.59%	Higher than U.S. average
Annual Rate Increase	4.49%	Last 3 years

Indiana consistently ranks in the upper half of U.S. states for drug overdose rates.

Drug Overdose Deaths by County (2022, Top 10)

Rank	County	Deaths per 100,000
1	Jennings County	72.6
2	Marion County	72.1
3	Grant County	69.7
4	Wayne County	69.4
5	Madison County	61.5
6	Delaware County	57.1
7	Bartholomew County	56.3
8	Floyd County	53.3
9	Howard County	52.6
10	Harrison County	50.2

Geographic Variation

• Highest rate: 73 per 100,000 (Jennings County)
• Lowest rate (among major counties): 15 per 100,000 (Hamilton County)
• Nearly 5-fold difference between highest and lowest counties

Drug overdose deaths affect geographic areas differently, with smaller, more rural counties often experiencing higher rates than urban centers.

Marion County-Level Data (Indianapolis)

Accidental Deaths (2022)

Cause of Death	Total	Percentage
Drug Intoxication	801	57%
Blunt Force	483	34%
Fire/Thermal	27	2%
Drug Use Contributing Factor	21	1%
Other causes	<1% each	9%
Total	1,409	100%

Age Distribution (2022)

1. 30-39 years: 215 deaths
2. 40-49 years: 177 deaths
3. 50-59 years: 166 deaths
4. 20-29 years: 129 deaths
5. 60-69 years: 89 deaths
6. 13-19 & 70-79 years: 11 deaths each
7. 80-89 years: 2 deaths

Marion County accounts for nearly 20% of Indiana’s overdoses.

Opioid Crisis

Opioid Overdose Deaths

2021 Statistics

• 2,206 opioid overdose deaths (78% of all drug overdose deaths)
• Age-adjusted death rate: 34.2 per 100,000 (increased from 5.6 per 100,000 in 2011)
• National comparison: U.S. rate was 24.7 per 100,000

Historical Data

• 1,104 annual opioid deaths (17.5 per 100,000)
• 19.9% above national death rate
• 67.8% of all overdose deaths involve opioids

Opioids are the primary driver of overdose deaths in Indiana. The age-adjusted death rate has increased more than six-fold between 2011 and 2021.

Opioid Types Contributing to Deaths

Opioid Type	Percentage of Deaths
Synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl)	64.6%
Prescription opioids	33.5%
Heroin	28.2%

Synthetic opioids like fentanyl have become the dominant cause of opioid deaths, with the rate of fentanyl-involved deaths increasing 74.7 times between 2003 and 2022.

Opioid Prescribing and Healthcare Impact

• Prescription rate: 65.8% of residents have an opioid prescription (2018); Indiana rate: 65.8 per 100 people; U.S. average: 51.4 per 100 people
• Opioid dispensation rate: 179.4 per 1,000 population (Q3 2021)
• Emergency Department visits: 7,191 opioid overdose-related visits (2020)
• Neonatal cases: 1.04% of hospital births involve neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome
• NAS cases (2014): 657 newborns with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Indiana’s opioid prescribing rate significantly exceeds the national average, contributing to widespread availability and misuse.

Opioid Use Prevalence

General Population (12+ years)

• 3.8% reported misusing prescription pain relievers in the past year
• 3.3% reported misusing prescription pain relievers (2020 survey)
• 1.5% reported misusing prescription pain relievers (2021 survey, 1.8 percentage point decrease)
• 0.3% of those 26+ used heroin in the past year
• 0.39% reported heroin use in the past year (2017-2019)

Young Adults (18-25 years)

• 5.6% misused prescription pain relievers in the past year
• 0.5% used heroin in the past year

Youth (12-17 years)

• 2.96% report misusing pain relievers

While prescription pain reliever misuse has decreased from 4.92% (2015-2016) to 3.15% (2021), Indiana’s rates remain above national averages for prescription pain reliever misuse.

Marijuana Use

Adult Use (12+ years)

Time Period	Past Month Use	Past Year Use
2020-2021	10.9%	16.0%
2017-2019	13.10% (752,000 people)	19.71% (1,131,000 people)
2022-2023	13.10% (752,000 people)	19.71% (1,131,000 people)

Marijuana use in Indiana has increased significantly between 2002-2004 and 2017-2019.

Youth Marijuana Use (12-17 years)

• Past month use: 5.3%
• Past year use: 12.39%
• First-time use in past year: 6.0% (32,000 youth)
• High school students (current use): 16.4%

By Grade Level

• 8th grade: 5.5%
• 10th grade: 12.2%
• 12th grade: 17.3%

Among youth who use marijuana, most of them report using it in the last month.

Young Adults (18-25 years)

• Past month use: 22.49% (168,000 people)
• Past year use: 36.23% (271,000 people)
• College students (past month): 20.7%

Young adults have the highest rate of marijuana use across all age groups, with more than one in four reporting past-month use.

Stimulant Use (Cocaine And Methamphetamine)

Cocaine Use

General Population (12+ years)

1.40% (80,000 people) used cocaine in the past year (2022-2023)

Young Adults (18-25 years)

2.64% used cocaine in the past year (20,000 people)

High School Students

• 4.0% have used cocaine at least once
• 67.1% of student cocaine users began after starting college

Cocaine use remains a significant concern, particularly among college-age individuals.

Methamphetamine Use

General Population (12+ years)

• 1.04% used methamphetamine in the past year (60,000 people)
• Same as U.S. rate

Young Adults (18-25 years)

• 0.62% used meth in the past year (5,000 people)
• 0.3 percentage points higher than U.S. rate

High School Students

• 2.9% have used meth at least once (down from 8.2% in 2003)

Methamphetamine use among high school students has declined significantly since 2003, showing a 64% reduction.

Youth Substance Use (12-17 Years)

Overall Youth Drug Use

Metric	Percentage	Number of Youth
Used drugs in last month	8.51%	46,000
Illicit drug use (past month)	8.5%	45,000
Met criteria for IDUD (past year)	3.51%	N/A
Met criteria for AUD (past year)	1.66%	N/A

Teenagers in Indiana are 2.11% more likely to have used drugs in the last month than the average American teen.

Specific Substances Among Youth

Substance	Percentage
Marijuana (among drug users)	86.96%
Marijuana (past year, all youth)	12.39%
Cocaine (past year)	0.55%
Methamphetamines	0.37%
Heroin	Up to 0.09%
Pain relievers (misuse)	2.96%

Indiana youth begin experimenting with substances at comparable rates to their peers elsewhere.

Young Adult Substance Use (18-25 Years)

Drug Use Prevalence

• Illicit drug use (past month): 259,000 young adults. 7.62% more likely to use drugs than average American in same age group
• 23.72% used illicit drugs in the past month (2022-2023)
• 4.80% used illicit drugs other than marijuana in the past month

Young adults in Indiana have substantially higher drug use rates than older age groups.

Substance Use Disorders (18-25 years)

Disorder Type	Percentage	Number of People
Substance Use Disorder	14.9%	110,000
Illicit Drug Use Disorder	7.8%	57,000
Marijuana Use Disorder	4.8%	35,000
Opioid Use Disorder	1.4%	10,000

All rates are similar to regional and national averages.

Overall Population Substance Use Disorders (12+ Years)

Substance Use Disorder Rates (2017-2019)

Disorder Type	Percentage	Number of People
Substance Use Disorder	7.9%	438,000
Illicit Drug Use Disorder	3.3%	185,000
Opioid Use Disorder	1.0%	55,000
Marijuana Use Disorder	1.6%	92,000

Substance use disorder prevalence in Indiana is slightly higher than national averages.

Substance Use Disorder Rates (2022-2023)

Age Group	SUD Rate	Drug Use Disorder	Opioid Use Disorder
12+ years	14.81% (850,000)	8.42% (483,000)	2.09% (120,000)
12-17 years	8.07% (45,000)	7.17% (40,000)	1.21% (7,000)
18-25 years	24.84% (186,000)	17.30% (130,000)	1.13% (8,000)
26+ years	13.96% (619,000)	7.08% (314,000)	2.36% (104,000)

Young adults (18-25) have substantially higher rates of substance use disorders than other age groups.

Prescription Practices And Perception

Marijuana

• 18.99% perceive great risk from smoking marijuana once a month
• Youth: 19.10%
• Young adults: 10.22%

Cocaine

• 69.12% perceive great risk from using cocaine once a month
• Youth: 49.47%

Heroin

• 82.64% perceive great risk from trying heroin once or twice
• Youth: 55.45%

Risk perception varies significantly by age group and substance, with young adults generally perceiving less risk than older adults, particularly for marijuana use.

Polysubstance Abuse

Treatment Admissions Data (2021)

• 35.4% of Hoosiers in substance use treatment reported using opioids as primary, secondary, or tertiary substance
• 62.8% of people in Indiana drug treatment reported polysubstance abuse (2016). National average: 54.3%

Among Opioid Users in Treatment

• 50.8% also used methamphetamine
• 33.8% also used marijuana
• 18.3% also used alcohol

Indiana has a significantly higher rate of polysubstance abuse than the national average.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Services

Treatment Facilities and Capacity

• 427 active drug rehab treatment facilities (current)
• 290 treatment facilities (2009)
• 156 facilities provided mixed mental health and substance abuse treatment
• 4 facilities offer free drug rehab treatment for all patients
• 28 drug courts (25 adult, 3 juvenile) as of 2007

Indiana has expanded its treatment infrastructure, with a 47% increase in facilities between 2009 and present.

Annual Treatment Enrollment

Year	People Enrolled (Single-Day Count)
2019	37,077
2015	25,465
2010	24,054 admissions

Treatment enrollment increased by 46% between 2015 and 2019.

Treatment Focus (2019)

Treatment Type	Percentage
Drug problem only	50.1%
Alcohol problem only	16.3%
Both drug and alcohol	33.6%

Patient Demographics (2010)

• Men: 64.5%
• Women: 35.5%

Men comprise nearly two-thirds of treatment admissions.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Methadone

• 2019: 6,123 people receiving methadone in opioid treatment programs
• 2015: 7,073 people (14% decrease)

Buprenorphine

• 2019: 2,871 people receiving buprenorphine
• 2015: 1,178 people (144% increase)

There’s been a significant shift from methadone to buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment.

Treatment by Substance (2018-2022)

Heroin

• 21.8% of admissions reported heroin use as primary, secondary, or tertiary substance
• 14.7% reported heroin as primary substance
• Increased from 3.2% of admissions (2006) to 23.0% (2018)

Opioids (General)

• 34.8% reported using opioids (heroin, non-prescription methadone, other opiates/synthetics)
• 16.1% reported prescription opioid use as primary, secondary, or tertiary substance
• 7.0% reported prescription opioids as primary substance
• 18.4% reported prescription opioid misuse (treatment admissions)

Marijuana

• 47.1% of treatment episodes
• 18.1% as primary substance

Methamphetamine

• 41.3% of admissions
• 24.0% as primary substance
• 41.3% (2018), up from 10.9% (2005)

Heroin treatment admissions increased more than seven-fold between 2006 and 2018, reflecting the heroin epidemic’s impact.

Treatment Gap

2022-2023 Data

• Classified as needing treatment: 16.95% (973,000 people)
• Received treatment: 4.54% (261,000 people)
• Not receiving treatment despite need: 73.49% (707,000 people)

By Age Group (Not Receiving Treatment)

• 12-17 years: 56.49%
• 18-25 years: 84.49%
• 26+ years: 72.05%

Approximately 90% of inmates do not receive addiction treatment services.

Cost of Treatment

Outpatient Services

• Average individual cost: $1,706
• 35,612 patients enroll annually
• $60.75 million total spending (2.63% of U.S. public total)

Residential (Non-Hospital) Services

• Average individual cost: $54,824
• 852 patients enroll annually
• $46.71 million total spending (0.9% of U.S. public total)
• Indiana is the 7th cheapest state for drug residential rehabilitation

Hospital Services

• 613 patients in hospitals for drug rehab annually

Residential treatment in Indiana is relatively affordable compared to other states.

Disease Transmission

Hepatitis C

• 40,200 cases attributed to intravenous drug use

HIV/AIDS

• 11,218 cases attributed to intravenous drug use
• Up to 80% of people who inject drugs may contract HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C through needle sharing within 5 years

Injection drug use poses severe risks for bloodborne disease transmission, with the vast majority of users at risk of contracting potentially life-threatening infections.

Economic Impact

• Last 15 years: More than $43 billion in total costs
• 2017: $4.3 billion ($11 million per day)
• Non-lethal overdoses (2016): Over $224 million in hospitalization costs
• Other opioid-related hospital stays (2016): Additional $297 million

The economic burden of the addiction crisis diverts substantial resources from other state priorities.

Criminal Justice Impact

Drug-Related Arrests

Indianapolis

• 74% of adult arrestees tested positive for illicit drug use (2001). Exceeds national average of 67%

Statewide

• Juvenile arrests: Surged from 667 (1990) to 3,159 (1998)
• 40% of drug-related crimes committed by juveniles

Methamphetamine-Related

• Possession arrests: Rose from 1,688 (2003) to 2,720 (2007)

Drug use is prevalent among those arrested for various crimes.

Drug Convictions

Overall Conviction Trends

• 103% increase in drug convictions from 2013 to 2017
• 8,018 guilty drug offenses analyzed
• 86% were drug possession offenses

Marijuana Convictions

• Dealing: 19% of all dealing convictions; 493% increase (2013-2017)
• Possession: 30% of possession convictions; 177% increase

Marijuana-related convictions have surged dramatically.

Indiana faces a severe substance abuse crisis, with overdose deaths nearly tripling over the past decade and synthetic opioids driving the majority of fatalities. The state experiences 26% higher overdose death rates than the national average, yet three-quarters of those needing treatment do not receive it. Substance abuse impacts all age groups and contributes to more than half of child welfare cases, the majority of violent crimes, and over $4 billion in annual economic costs. Comprehensive prevention, treatment, and recovery services are urgently needed to address this ongoing public health emergency affecting hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers.

Statistical Data on Alcohol in Indiana

Indiana faces a significant alcohol abuse crisis that affects thousands of residents across all age groups and demographics. The state has experienced a dramatic escalation in alcohol-related problems over the past decade, with the mortality rate from excessive alcohol use increasing by as much as 49.7% from 2015 to 2019, and continuing to rise to 14.8 deaths per 100,000 population by 2021. Binge drinking, particularly among young adults aged 18-25, has been the primary driver of this crisis, with over one-third of this age group engaging in dangerous drinking patterns. The impact encompasses significant economic costs exceeding $6 billion annually, substantial criminal justice system involvement with nearly 40,000 alcohol-related arrests, persistent drunk driving problems with over 7,000 collisions yearly, and profound effects on families including over 11% of child removals attributed to parental alcohol abuse.

Alcohol-Related Deaths

Total Deaths and Mortality Rates

Annual Deaths

• Average of 2,960 annual deaths in Indiana are attributable to excessive alcohol use
• 1,946 deaths caused by excessive alcohol use (alternate source)
• Historical data: From 2000 to 2020, 10,645 people died in Indiana due to alcohol-related causes
• From 2000 through 2015 (15 years): 6,571 people died from alcohol-related causes
• From 2000 through 2019: 9,618 Hoosiers died from alcohol-induced causes

Mortality Rates

• Indiana averages 1 death from excessive alcohol use for every 2,292 people aged 18+
• 5.69 deaths for every 10,000 adults
• Approximately 3.8 alcohol-related deaths per 10,000 adults

Age-Adjusted Mortality Rates

• 2019: 10.4 per 100,000 population
• 2020: 13.7 per 100,000 population (3.3 points increase from previous year)
• 2021: 14.8 per 100,000 population

Alcohol-related deaths are increasing significantly in Indiana, with mortality rates rising from 10.4 per 100,000 in 2019 to 14.8 in 2021.

Demographics of Alcohol-Related Deaths

Gender

• 70.5% of people who die from excessive alcohol use are male
• 29.5% are female

Age Distribution

• 81.8% of deaths are adults aged 35 years and older
• 3.41% of deaths are people under age 21

Cause Type

• 55.3% of excessive alcohol use deaths are from chronic causes, such as Alcohol Use Disorder
• Approximately 50% of alcohol-related deaths result from chronic (long-term) alcohol abuse
• 44.7% are from acute causes

Life Years Lost

• CDC estimates 79,925 years of potential life lost to excessive alcohol use each year

The typical alcohol-related death victim in Indiana is a male (71%) aged 35 or older (81%).

Overall Alcohol Use Prevalence

Current Use Statistics (2020-2023)

• 2020: 48.4% of Hoosiers aged 12+ reported current alcohol use (1.1 percentage point increase from previous year)
• 2021: 44.1% of Hoosiers aged 12+ reported current alcohol use
• 2022-2023: 46.24% of Hoosiers aged 12+ reported past-month alcohol use (approximately 2,653,000 people)
• Indiana’s rate of 49.5% past-month use is close to the national average of 50.4%

Alcohol Use by Age Group (2022-2023)

Age Group	Past-Month Use	Past-Month Binge Drinking	Past-Year AUD
12-17	5.93% (33,000)	2.79% (16,000)	2.16% (12,000)
18-25	49.36% (370,000)	27.03% (202,000)	13.01% (97,000)
26+	50.79% (2,251,000)	20.55% (911,000)	8.53% (378,000)
12+ Total	46.24% (2,653,000)	19.67% (1,129,000)	8.49% (487,000)

Approximately half of Indiana’s population aged 12 and older consumes alcohol, consistent with national patterns.

Adult Alcohol Use (Ages 18+)

Age-Adjusted Statistics

• 2020: 51.1% of adults used alcohol in past month (1.1 percentage point increase from previous year)
• 2021: 51.9% of adults used alcohol (0.8 percentage point increase from previous year)

Gender Breakdown (2020-2021)

• Men (2020): 56.1% (0.3 percentage point increase from previous year)
• Men (2021): 55.4% (0.7 percentage point decrease from previous year)
• Women (2020): 44.2% (3.3 percentage point increase from previous year)
• Women (2021): 46.1% (1.9 percentage point increase from previous year)

While male alcohol use rates are higher than female rates, women showed more significant increases in recent years.

Young Adults (Ages 18-25)

Alcohol Use Prevalence (College Students)

• Indiana colleges: 55.6% of college students reported alcohol consumption in past month
• National comparison: 55.7% (nearly identical)
• 2021 Indiana College Substance Use Survey: 60.8% of Indiana college students reported using alcohol in past month

Indiana college students’ drinking patterns mirror national trends, with alcohol being the most commonly used substance.

Binge Drinking Among Young Adults

Past-Month Binge Drinking

• 2017-2019: 35.8% (approximately 265,000 young adults)
• Indiana rate (35.8%) similar to regional average (39.2%) and national average (35.4%)
• 2022-2023: 27.03% reported past-month binge drinking (approximately 202,000 young adults)

College Students

• 27.2% of college students reported binge drinking within past two weeks

Over one-third of young adults engage in binge drinking, representing a critical public health concern.

Youth Alcohol Use (Ages 12-17)

Trend Data (2017-2019)

• 8.3% of youth aged 12-17 reported past-month alcohol use (approximately 44,000 youth)
• Indiana rate (8.3%) was similar to regional average (9.2%) and national average (9.4%)

Grade-Specific Data

• 8th graders: 11.2% consumed alcohol in past month
• 10th graders: 19.5% consumed alcohol in past month
• 12th graders: 28.5% consumed alcohol in past month
• High school students overall (grades 9-12): 30.5% used alcohol in past month

Youth alcohol use increases dramatically with age, nearly tripling from 8th to 12th grade.

Underage Drinking (Ages 12-20)

Binge Drinking

• 10.6% of underage Hoosiers engaged in binge drinking
• 2022-2023: 6.99% reported past-month binge drinking (approximately 55,000 underage binge drinkers)

Risk Perception

• 36.75% of youth aged 12-17 perceive great risk from having five or more drinks once or twice a week
• 37.91% of people aged 12-20 perceive great risk from this behavior
• Approximately 299,000 people aged 12-20 perceive this as a great risk

Despite legal prohibitions, approximately 103,000 underage Hoosiers consume alcohol monthly, with over half that number engaging in binge drinking.

Binge Drinking Statistics

Overall Rates

• Indiana : 15.6% to 23.8% of Hoosiers aged 12+ engage in binge drinking
• 2020: 23.8% of Hoosiers aged 12+ engaged in binge drinking (higher rate among young adults)
• 2022-2023: 19.67% reported past-month binge drinking (approximately 1,129,000 people)
• Indiana vs. National: Indiana 15.6%, United States 16.8%

Adults 18+

• 17.1% of Indiana adults over 18 binge drink at least once per month
• 2022-2023: 21.49% of adults aged 18+ reported past-month binge drinking (approximately 1,113,000 people)
• Adults aged 18-44: More than 23% reported binge drinking in 2020

Binge Drinking Patterns

• Median number of drinks per binge: 5.6
• The 25% most active drinkers consume a median of 9.1 drinks per binge
• Binge drinking adults binge a median of 1.7 times monthly
• The 25% most active drinkers binge 4.2 times per month

Binge drinking affects nearly one-quarter of Indiana’s population aged 12 and older.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

General Population (Ages 12+)

• 2017-2019: 5.4% had past-year AUD (approximately 302,000 people)
• Indiana rate (5.4%) similar to regional average (5.6%) and national average (5.3%)
• Estimated rate: 5.6% of Hoosiers have an addiction to alcohol
• 1 in 20 Indiana residents suffer from alcoholism
• 2022-2023: 8.49% had past-year AUD (approximately 487,000 people)

Adults (Ages 18+)

• 2022-2023: 9.18% had past-year AUD (approximately 475,000 adults)

Alcohol Use Disorder affects an estimated 302,000-487,000 Hoosiers depending on the data source and year, representing 5-9% of the population.

Treatment and Healthcare Impact

Treatment Admissions

General Statistics

• 27.6% of treatment admissions were for alcohol as primary substance
• 43.4% of total treatment admissions involved alcohol as primary/secondary/tertiary substance in SFY 2021 (1.8 percentage point increase from previous year)

Historical Data

• 2010: 4,064 people admitted to treatment for alcohol abuse as primary drug
• 2010: 4,931 people admitted with alcohol addiction combined with secondary substance

Alcohol accounts for approximately 28-44% of substance abuse treatment admissions depending on whether secondary/tertiary substances are included.

Healthcare Utilization

Hospitalizations

• 2019: 10,575 Indiana residents were hospitalized with alcohol-related health problems

Birth Outcomes

• 61 infants born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in a single year (most severe type of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders)
• Over 10,000 annual hospitalizations for alcohol-related health problems represent substantial healthcare system burden.

Alcohol-Impaired Driving

Fatalities and Collisions

Fatal Crashes

• 2009: 210 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities
• 2019: 210 total fatalities resulting from alcohol-impaired driving (same as 2009)
• 2019: 153 alcohol-related collisions were fatal

• 26% of total traffic deaths in Indiana are caused by alcohol-impaired driving
• 17% of total alcohol-impaired driving fatalities involve individuals under 21

Total Collisions

• 2015: 8,642 vehicle collisions were alcohol-related
• 2019: 7,025 alcohol-related collisions occurred
• 2020: Alcohol-related collision rate was 0.61 per 1,000 population

Despite efforts to reduce drunk driving, alcohol-impaired driving remains a persistent probleml.

Arrests

DWI/OWI Arrests (Indiana)

• 22,618 people arrested for driving while intoxicated
• 16,936 people arrested for drunkenness
• Hamilton County (2019): 6 OWI offenses among juvenile probation referrals

Nearly 40,000 total arrests for intoxication-related offenses demonstrate active law enforcement, though the persistent high fatality rates suggest enforcement alone may be insufficient to address the problem.

Economic Impact

• Indiana taxpayers spent $4.468 billion in 2010 as result of excessive alcohol use
• Adjusted for inflation: equivalent to $6.032 billion in 2022 US dollars
• $2.65 cost per drink in 2022 dollars

The economic burden of excessive alcohol use is substantial at over $6 billion when adjusted for inflation, averaging $2.65 per drink consumed.

The data reveals that alcohol use and abuse represent significant public health challenges in Indiana, affecting all age groups but particularly young adults aged 18-25. While some positive trends exist (declining youth use, decreasing AUD rates in some periods), concerning patterns persist including rising mortality rates, substantial economic costs, and high rates of binge drinking. The approximately $6 billion annual economic burden, combined with over 2,900 annual deaths and impacts on families and children, underscores the need for comprehensive prevention, treatment, and enforcement strategies.

Conclusion

In general, Indiana faces severe and intertwined substance abuse crises, with drug overdose deaths reaching 2,682 annually and alcohol-related deaths averaging 2,960 per year, representing mortality rates significantly above national averages. Despite nearly one million Hoosiers needing treatment for substance use disorders, approximately 73% receive no care, leaving hundreds of thousands without essential services. The combined economic burden exceeds $10 billion annually when accounting for both drug-related costs ($4.3 billion in 2017) and alcohol-related costs ($6 billion adjusted for inflation), straining state resources and affecting families, workplaces, and communities statewide. Urgent expansion of prevention, treatment, and recovery services is critical to address these escalating public health emergencies that impact all age groups and demographics across Indiana.

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