Use of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs

Slightly more than half of the decedents were reported to have ever smoked cigarettes. During the period these smokers smoked the most, almost one-third (31 percent) were reported to have smoked more than 24 cigarettes a day.

Number and percent distribution of decedents who smoked by cigarette consumption per day during the period they smoked the most: United States, 1993

Cigarette consumption per day	Number	Percent	Standard error of percent	95 percent confidence interval (+/- percent)
Total	1,257,000	100.0	0.0000	0.0
Less than 5	80,000	6.4	0.6173	1.2
5 to 14	182,000	14.5	0.9205	1.8
15 to 24	418,000	33.2	1.2220	2.4
25 to 34	148,000	11.7	0.8673	1.7
35 to 44	171,000	13.6	0.9100	1.8
45 or more	75,000	6.0	0.6185	1.2
Item nonresponse	182,000	14.5	0.9011	1.8

NOTES: Excludes deaths to persons under 15 years of age and those deaths occurring in South Dakota. Figures may not add to totals due to rounding. Standard errors are estimated using the statistical software package SUDAAN.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Mortality Followback Survey — provisional data, 1993.

About one-quarter of all decedents were reported to drink alcoholic beverages during their last year of life. Twenty-nine percent of the drinkers were reported to have used alcohol every day. Nine percent where reported to have used alcohol less than once a month.

Number and percent distribution of decedents who drank alcoholic beverages during the last year of life by frequency of alcohol use: United States, 1993

Frequency of alcohol use	Number	Percent	Standard error of percent	95 percent confidence interval (+/- percent)
Total	536,000	100.0	0.0000	0.0
Every day	154,000	28.8	1.7168	3.4
3 to 6 times a week	72,000	13.5	1.3199	2.6
1 or 2 times a week	103,000	19.3	1.4879	2.9
1 to 3 times a month	75,000	14.0	1.3362	2.6
Less than once a month	49,000	9.2	1.1146	2.2
Item nonresponse	82,000	15.2	1.3561	2.7

SOURCE: NCHS, National Mortality Followback Survey — provisional data, 1993.

Thirty-nine percent of the decedents were reported to have taken medication for pain during their last year of life. About 2 percent were reported to have used marijuana, and less than 1 percent were reported to have used other types of illicit drugs.

Number and percent of decedents reported to have used selected drugs during the last year of life by type of drug used: United States, 1993

Drug	Number	Percent¹	Standard error of percent	95 percent confidence interval (+/- percent)
Pain killers	874,000	39.4	0.9302	1.8
Sedatives	379,000	17.1	0.7694	1.5
Tranquilizers	318,000	14.3	0.7069	1.4
Antidepressants	184,000	8.3	0.5594	1.1
Steroids	111,000	5.0	0.4187	0.8
Methadone	11,000	0.5	0.1119	0.2
Heroin	10,000	0.4	0.0613	0.1
Marijuana	36,000	1.6	0.1272	0.2
Cocaine	18,000	0.8	0.0364	0.1
Hallucinogens	4,000	0.2	0.0132	0.0

¹ Percents based on 2,215,000 decedents.

NOTES: Excludes deaths to persons under 15 years of age and those deaths occurring in South Dakota. Standard errors are estimated using the statistical software package SUDAAN.

SOURCE: NCHS, National Mortality Followback Survey — provisional data, 1993.