Description

For sample adults who have had at least one alcoholic drink in their entire life (ALCDRINKEV) and, before 2019, sample adults ages 18 and older who had at least 12 alcoholic beverages in their entire life (ALCLIFE), ALCANYNO reports the number of days (every day or the number of days per week, month, or year) for the frequency with which the person drinks alcohol. ALCANYNO should be paired with ALCANYTP (Frequency drank alcohol in past year: Time period) to obtain the complete frequency of alcohol consumption. Please see Comparability and Universe tabs for information on changes in the wording and universe between samples.

Beginning in 2020, ALCANYNO is collected as part of the rotating core of NHIS alcohol use questions, fielded every other year. For more information about the NHIS alcohol use rotating core, please see ALCDRINKEV.

Comparability

Changes in the way ALCANYNO was collected and in the overall NHIS questionnaire design affect comparability over time.

In 1988, ALCANYNO was asked only of sample adults who had drank at least 12 alcoholic beverages in the previous year. For 1997-2018, the universe was expanded to include sample adults who have ever had 12 drinks in their lives. In addition, the 1997-2018 questions ask specifically about the frequency of alcohol consumption in the previous year, while the 1988 question asks how often the person drinks any alcoholic beverages on average but does not suggest a time frame.

Questionnaire design changes introduced in 2019 limit comparability with earlier years. The NHIS questionnaire was substantially redesigned in 2019 to introduce a different data collection structure and new content. For more information on changes in terminology, universes, and data collection methods beginning in 2019, please see the user note.

Universe

Availability

• 1988, 1997-2018, 2020, 2022

Weights

• 1988, 1997-2018, 2020, 2022 : SAMPWEIGHT