Shiprock (Tsé Bitʼaʼí, "rock with wings") is a 27 million year old volcanic rock formation, designated as a National Natural Landmark, rising 1,583 feet above the desert.
The eggs and hoodoos in the Bisti Wilderness were formed in sand and silt revealed 73 million years ago when the Western Interior Seaway receded.
The La Plata Mountains, seen from San Juan County, are a small subrange of the San Juan Mountains in sw Colorado, and includes Hesperus Mountain at 13,332 feet.
Navajo Lake is a 3800 feet long and 400 feet deep reservoir located in northeastern San Juan County, created from a dam completed in 1962.
Angel Peak Scenic Area is located 15 miles south of Bloomfield in San Juan County, with over 10,000 acres of rugged terrain, badlands and deep canyons.
The San Juan River is a 383 mile long major tributary of the Colorado River and a primary drainage for the Four Corners.
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness (Bisti Badlands) is a 45,000-acre wilderness area full of rock formations made of sandstone, shale, mudstone, and silt.
The Aztec Ruins National Monument, on 318 acres, consists of dwellings and sacred structures built by Ancient Pueblo Indians in the 12th and 13th Centuries.

Alcohol Use


Alcohol Use - Adults

Self-report of high-risk alcohol use (binge drinking) among adults in San Juan County is somewhat below, but not significantly different than New Mexico and the U.S. (See graph below.)

In 2021, 11.9% of adults in San Juan County reported past month binge drinking, compared to New Mexico's rate of 14.7%, and the U.S. rate of 15.4%.

Chronic heavy drinking is reported by 3.3% of adults in San Juan, compared to 5.1% across New Mexico.

Binge Drinking, Adults
Chronic Heavy Drinking

Trends, Adult Alcohol Use

Overall, alcohol use rates among adults have not changed significantly over time. From 2019 to 2021, binge drinking decreased slightly, from 14.7% to 11.9%.

Alcohol Use - High School

Self-report measures of alcohol use among high school age students in San Juan County are just below New Mexico and the U.S. Measures are self-report of past 30-days from the most recent NM YRRS and national YRBS.

Binge Drinking, HS Youth
Current (Past 30-day) Drinking

Trends, High School Aged Youth Alcohol Use

Prior to 2013, there were significant decreases in all measures of alcohol use and related risk behaviors, and the reached a plateau from 2013 to 2109. Most recent data (from the 2021 YRRS) show a signficant decrease in alcohol use among high school students, from 22.7% in 2019 to 12.3% in 2021. 

Early initiation of alcohol use, as measured by the YRRS indicator, “First drink before age 13,” is an important indicator that is a predictor of alcohol dependence later in life. This indicator among youth in San Juan County decreased from 31.7% in 2003 to 14.4% in 2021. This rate is similar to New Mexico's 17.8%.

Alcohol Use - Middle School

Below are the alcohol use indicators for middle school students from the 2021 YRRS. On the 2021 YRRS, 16.1% of middle school students reported having ever used alcohol, and 4.7% reported "current" or past 30-day use.

These rates are just below but statistically similar to rates for middle school students across the state. Across New Mexico, 22.4% of middle school students reported lifetime use, 7.6% reported past 30-day use, and 3.5% report binge drinking in the past month.
Ever Drank Alcohol
Current (Past 30-day) Drinking
Binge Drinking, MS Youth

Trends, Middle School Alcohol Use

Lifetime use of alcohol (ever drank) has decreased among middle school aged youth, from 30.9% in 2009 to 16.1% in 2021.

INFOGRAPHIC

INFOGRAPHIC

Download an infographic about alcohol use and consequences in San Juan County.

Resilience at Home

As the name suggests, the New Mexico YRRS (Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey) not only asks about "risk" factors, such as substance use and related behaviors, it also asks about "resilience" factors. Two examples of resilience factors are shown below.

Youth who experience these resilience factors are less likely to use substances (drugs, alcohol) or engage in related behaviors, such as drinking and driving. These represent strengths; for both of these resilience factors, San Juan County is in the top 10 of New Mexico's 33 counties.
Data for alcohol use are from two self-report surveys, YRRS for youth and the BRFSS for adults:

Youth Data:
Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS), NM Dept of Health.
County Report: www.youthrisk.org

Adult Data:
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), CDC.
https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/

State and County data are from New Mexico's Indicator-Based Information System (NM-IBIS).
https://ibis.doh.nm.gov 

Additional information and national data are available from the CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/
Binge drinking (youth and adults) is defined as 5 or more drinks (for males or 4 or more drinks for females) on one occasion. Among adults, chronic heavy drinking refers to more than two drinks per day for males and more than one drink per day for females.

Chronic drinking is defined as more than 1 alcoholic drinks per day (for women) and more than 1 drinks per day (for men).

The YRRS is administered across New Mexico with high school and middle school students in the Fall of odd-numbered years, by the New Mexico Dept. of Health in collaboration with the New Mexico Public Education Dept.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the National CDC system of health-related telephone surveys.

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