I’ve seen this stat a lot, and anecdotally there’s no way it can be accurate. It really makes me wonder about the methodology of data collection. First, it seems like the heavier of a drinker or drug user you are, the less likely you are to set aside time to participate in a long survey. Second, regardless of the assurances of confidentiality, I’m not sure people would always be honest about the extent of their drinking. In AA, one of the most important steps is admitting you have a problem…
For anyone interested, here’s the paper that explains the survey methodology: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt47098/Methodological Summary and Definitions/2023-nsduh-method-summary-defs.pdf
And here’s an FAQ: https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/faq.html#q6
A few interesting notes:
- Among people who were selected for the interview but did not complete it, the most common reasons for not responding were (1) refusal to participate by the respondent or by the parent or adult guardian of the adolescent respondent (26.1 percent) and (2) did not participate because the residents were not available, never at home, or did not respond to the web survey (18.9 percent)
- For both data collection procedures, communications with potential respondents stressed confidentiality. Consequently, respondents’ names were not collected with the interview data. For web-based data collection, the website’s https encryption provided sufficient security for information entered from compatible devices via any Internet connection
- The interview questions will take about an hour to complete
- Interview respondents who completed the interview received a $30 incentive
4 drinks (for women) isn’t a lot. That can be as little as two martinis or three margaritas.
5 (for men) isn’t really a lot either. That’s less than a 6 pack of beer. Or like 3 cocktails depending on how strong they are.
Most people I know will likely have at least one day a month where they drink this much. A birthday party, a holiday celebration, a wedding, a big game, etc. I wouldn’t think twice about a couple drinking this much on a date night. Heck, I’ve been to stuffy work functions that gave me 3 “drink tickets” (which would have put me over the limit). Throw in populations like alcoholics, college kids, service industry workers, etc, and I find it really hard to believe that’s only 5% of the population.