Substance Use

Substance Use

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey defines binge drinking as, males having five or more drinks on one occasion, females having four or more drinks on one occasion.25

Binge drinking rates in the state have been relatively stable since 2002 with approximately 15% to 18% of adults engaging in heavy or binge drinking. Seminole County experienced a decrease in adult binge drinking from 2016 to 2019.

Exhibit 29: Adults Who Engage in Heavy or Binge Drinking

22% Florida Seminole County

% of Adult Population 20%

18%

16%

14%

12%

10% 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2017

Florida 16.4% 16.2% 15.0% 17.6% 17.5% 18.0%

Seminole County 20.8% 20.4% 15.4% 13.2% 20.1% 17.4%

2002 2007 2010 2013 2016 2019

Source: Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

25RFSS Prevalence & Trends Data Binge Drinking.

The table below displays a comparison of substance use-related overdose rates in 2013 and 2019 per 100,000 residents. Death rates related to fentanyl and methamphetamine have increased in Seminole County.

Exhibit 30: Rate of Overdose Deaths

Per 100,000

Florida

Benzodiazepine Cocaine

2013 2019 Percent Change

ND 11.6 ND ND 9.6 ND

Fentanyl

ND 11.3 ND Heroin ND 3.6 ND Methamphetamine ND 9.1 ND Opioids ND 23.6 ND

Seminole

Benzodiazepine 44.0 8.5 -80.7% Cocaine 14.0 9.3 -33.6% Fentanyl 2.0 10.2 410.0% Heroin 7.0 5.1 -27.1% Methamphetamine 1.0 4.0 300.0% Opioids 54.0 17.4 -67.8%

Source: Florida Drug-Related Outcomes Surveillance & Tracking (FROST) System, 2019. Note: “ND” means “No Data available.”

• Fentanyl deaths have skyrocketed in Seminole County up over 300% from 2013 to 2019. See

FROST data in Exhibit 30. • Similarly, overdoses from methamphetamines increased by 300% or more. • Deaths from opioids, heroin, cocaine and benzodiazepine declined in 2019 from 2013. • Although fully comparable data was not available at the state level from the FROST system, trends between 2017 and 2020 similarly show decreased deaths from benzodiazepine and rising death rates from fentanyl and methamphetamine.