Youth, Alcohol and Other Drugs

An Overview

• About 9.5 million Americans between ages 12-20 had at least one drink last month; of these, 4.4 million were "binge" drinkers (consuming 5 or more drinks in a row on a single occasion) including 1.9 million heavy drinkers (consuming 5 or more drinks on the same occasion on at least 5 different days).¹

• The highest rates of illicit drug use are found among youth ages 16-17 (15.6%) and ages 18-20 (20%), with marijuana the most commonly used illicit drug.²

• 82% of high school seniors have used alcohol; in comparison, 65% have smoked cigarettes; 50% have used marijuana; and 9% have used cocaine.³

• Purchase and public possession of alcohol by people under age 21 is illegal in all 50 states.⁴

• Approximately 2/3 of teenagers who drink report that they can buy their own alcoholic beverages.⁵

• Use of alcohol and other drugs is associated with the leading causes of death and injury (e.g., motor-vehicle crashes, homicides, and suicides) among teenagers and young adults.⁶

• Use of alcohol or other drugs at an early age is an indicator of future alcohol or drug problems;⁷ people who begin drinking before age 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at 21.⁸

Usage Rates and Patterns

• First use of alcohol typically begins around age 13; marijuana around age 14.⁹

• Approximately 8% of the nation's 8th graders, 22% of 10th graders and 34% of 12th graders have been drunk during the last month; 13%, 23% and 26%, respectively, have used an illicit drug.¹⁰

• Among high school seniors, current alcohol use is higher for whites and Hispanics than blacks; the same is true for marijuana, but with greater similarity in the rates of use.¹¹

• Among teenagers who binge drink, 39% say they drink alone, 58% drink when upset, 30% drink when bored and 37% drink to feel high.¹²

• Junior/middle and senior high school students drink 35% of all wine coolers sold in the United States; they also consume 1.1 billion cans of beer.¹³

• 38% of college students have "binged" on alcohol during the past 2 weeks.¹⁴

• Young adults ages 18-25 are the most likely to binge or drink heavily. About half of the drinkers in this age group binge and about 1 in 5 are heavy drinkers.¹⁵

Negative Consequences

• Drivers under the age 25 were more likely than those 25 or older to be intoxicated in a fatal crash.¹⁶

• The prevalence of drinking and driving increases substantially among youth and young adults with the frequency of alcohol use and is strongly associated with binge drinking.¹⁷

• In 1995, 21.5% (262,112) of the clients admitted to alcohol or other drug treatment programs were under age 24, including 18,194 under age 15.¹⁸

• A clear relationship exists between alcohol use and grade-point average among college students: students with GPAs of D or F drink 3 times as much as those who earn As.¹⁹

• 31.9% of youth under age 18 in long-term, state-operated juvenile institutions in 1987 were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the arrest.²⁰

• Almost half of college students who were victims of campus crimes said they were drinking or using other drugs when they were victimized.²¹

• Researchers estimate that alcohol use is implicated in one- to two-thirds of sexual assault and acquaintance or "date" rape cases among teens and college students.²²

• Among sexually active teens, those who averaged 5 or more drinks daily were nearly three times less likely to use condoms, thus placing them at greater risk for HIV infection. Among all teens who drink, 16% use condoms less often after drinking.²³

Attitudes, Perceptions and Influences

• 80% of teenagers don't know a 12 oz. can of beer has the same amount of alcohol as a shot of whiskey; similarly, 55% don't know that a 5 oz. glass of wine and a 12 oz. can of beer have the same amount.²⁴

• 56% of students in grades 5-12 say that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink.²⁵

• A survey of high school students found that 18% of females and 39% of males say it is acceptable for a boy to force sex if the girl is stoned or drunk.²⁶

Sources
¹National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. ²lbid. ³NIDA, 1997 Monitoring the Future Study, Secondary School Students. ⁴Office of the Inspector General (OIG), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Youth and Alcohol: Laws and Enforcement: Is the 21-Year-Old Drinking Age a Myth?, Washington, DC, 10/91. ⁵OIG, HHS, Youth and Alcohol: A National Survey. Drinking Habits, Access, Attitudes, and Knowledge, Washington, DC, 6/91. ⁶Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among High School Students - United States, 1990," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 11/91, p.776. ⁷J Hawkins, R Catalano, Risk and Protective Factors for Alcohol and Other Drug Problems in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Implications for Substance Abuse Prevention, 1989, p.78. ⁸National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism news release, 1/14/98. ⁹NIDA, Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities, 1995, p.31. ¹⁰NIDA, 1997 Monitoring the Future Study, Secondary School Students. ¹¹Drug Use Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities, op.cit., pp.32, 34. ¹²Drinking Habits, op.cit. ¹³Ibid. ¹⁴NIDA, 1996 Monitoring the Future Study, College Students and Young Adults. ¹⁵NIDA, 1996 National Household Survey. ¹⁶CDC, "Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities Among Youth and Young Adults - United States, 1982-1989," MMWR, 3/91, p.179. ¹⁷CDC, "Update: Alcohol-Related Traffic Crashes and Fatalities Among Youth and Young Adults - United States, 1982-1994," MMWR, 12/95, p.872. ¹⁸Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services, Advance Report No.12, 2/97, p.30. ¹⁹C Presley and P Meilman, Alcohol and Drugs on American College Campuses, Student Health Program Wellness Center, Southern Illinois University, 7/92. ²⁰US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987," Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, 9/88. ²¹CR Bausell et al, The Links Among Drugs, Alcohol and Campus Crime, Towson State University Center for Study and Prevention of Campus Violence, MD, 1990. ²²OIG, HHS, Youth and Alcohol: Dangerous and Deadly Consequences, Washington, DC, 4/92. ²³RW Hingson, L Strunin, et al, "Beliefs About AIDS, Use of Alcohol and Drugs, and Unprotected Sex Among Massachusetts Adolescents," American Journal of Public Health, 3/90, pp.295-299. ²⁴Drinking Habits, op.cit. ²⁵The Scholastic/CNN Newsroom Survey on Student Attitudes About Drug and Substance Abuse, 2/90. ²⁶Dangerous and Deadly Consequences, op.cit.

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
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