Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention
Mission
The Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention is dedicated to decreasing alcohol-related harms and deaths in New Mexico by implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce excessive use of alcohol.
Overview
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham approved $2 million for the New Mexico Department of Health (NMHealth) to create the Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention (OAMP) in her 2023 budget. This initiative aims to mitigate alcohol-related harms through the coordination of prevention efforts across state agencies. The Office will promote evidence-based strategies to reduce alcohol-related-harms, such as Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in community settings and evaluations of existing programs and interventions. Additionally, the OAMP will support communities and sovereign Tribal Nations in their efforts to reduce excessive alcohol consumption by funding evidence-based prevention strategies.
The Alcohol Surveillance Unit was created to support the development of New Mexico Department of Health's Office of Alcohol Misuse Prevention. The unit conducts surveillance on alcohol harms and deaths using data systems from the state and engages in other data projects, including but not limited to alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet density. The Alcohol Surveillance Unit responds to requests for data, visualizations, and presentations from state partners and community groups, and aims to inform OAMP's prevention efforts through close collaboration and provision of epidemiological support.
Statistics and Reports
In 2023, NMDOH reported 1,896 alcohol-related deaths, down from 2,067 in 2022 and 2,274 at peak in 2021. New Mexico has historically had the highest alcohol-related deaths in the nation, with the most recent national data (2021) showing its rate was more than twice the national average. However, the state has achieved a 17.3% decline in the age-adjusted rate of 102.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2021 to 84.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2023.
New Mexico's Indicator Based Information System (IBIS)
New Mexico Substance Use Epidemiology Profile
Resources
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- CDC: Alcohol Use
- Free self-help videos on alcohol and other substances can be found through the New Mexico Health Care Authority Behavioral Health Services Division’s NM 5-Actionswebsite and can be used by people in recovery, by people who want to support loved ones, and adjunctively by healthcare professionals.
- Try this free screening tool to learn about how alcohol affects your health.
- A free youth screening tool is also available.
- Get linked to resources, including the free Connections App, if you’re trying to cut down or quit drinking.
- If you or someone you love thinks they may have a drinking problem, you can get support by calling the American Addiction Centers’ confidential alcohol hotline at (313)-209-9574 or 988 for crisis support.
- If you need help finding a provider, please call the NMDOH Helpline at 1-833-SWNURSE (1-833-796-8773).
- The Community Guide: Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Tribal Community Support
Join our Tribal Alcohol Related Mortality () Workgroup to address alcohol related concerns and challenges partnering with our 24 Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos ( T.A.R.M. sign up) To be added to the listserv or join monthly online meetings please email Tribal alcohol coordinator.