New Findings on Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
August 1, 2008
In 2006, a majority (53.9 percent) of U.S. adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20 had used an alcoholic beverage at least once in their lifetime, according to a recent report. Young people aged 12 to 20 consumed approximately 11.2 percent of the alcoholic drinks consumed in the United States in the past month by persons aged 12 or older. Research shows that underage drinkers tend to consume more alcohol per occasion than those over the legal minimum drinking age of 21.
Highlights include the following:
• Combined 2005 and 2006 data indicate that an annual average of 28.3 percent of persons aged 12 to 20 in the United States (an estimated 10.8 million persons annually) drank alcohol in the past month.
• Past-month alcohol users aged 12 to 20 drank on an average of 5.9 days in the past month and consumed an average of 4.9 drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month.
• Underage drinkers aged 12 to 20 consumed, on average, more drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month than persons aged 21 or older (4.9 vs. 2.8 drinks).
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey of approximately 67,500 people conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Office of Applied Studies. The survey collects information from residents of households, residents of non-institutionalized group quarters, and civilians living on military bases.
For more information, visit the SAMHSA Web site to read the full report or order it online (publication number: NSDUH08-0331).