March 31, 2008

Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers

In 2006, a majority (53.9 percent) of American adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20 had used an alcoholic beverage at least once in their lifetime.¹ 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.² Research shows that underage drinkers tend to consume more alcohol per occasion than those over the legal minimum drinking age of 21.³ Studies also have linked early drinking to heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in adulthood.^4,5 For example, in 2006, 16.3 percent of adults aged 21 or older who had first used alcohol before the age of 15 met the criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year compared with 2.4 percent of adults who first used alcohol at age 21 or older.⁶ Research also shows that early initiation of alcohol use is associated with higher likelihood of involvement in violent behaviors, suicide attempts, unprotected sexual intercourse, and multiple sex partners.^7,8

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older to report the frequency and quantity of their alcohol use during the 30 days prior to the interview. Respondents who drank alcohol in the past 30 days also are asked for the number of days they consumed alcohol in the past month and the average number of drinks consumed per day on the days they drank.⁹

This report focuses on the frequency and quantity of past month alcohol use among underage drinkers (i.e., persons aged 12 to 20 who consume alcohol). Comparisons of the quantity and frequency of alcohol use in the past month also are made between underage drinkers and drinkers aged 21 or older. All findings presented in this report are based on combined 2005 and 2006 NSDUH data.

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. Rates of past month alcohol use among persons aged 12 to 20 varied by demographic characteristics. Young adults aged 18 to 20 were 3 times as likely as youths aged 12 to 17 to have used alcohol in the past month (51.4 vs. 16.6 percent) (Table 1). Underage males were more likely than their female counterparts to have drunk alcohol in the past month (29.1 vs. 27.5 percent). Across racial/ethnic groups, the rate of past month alcohol use among persons aged 12 to 20 ranged from 17.6 percent among Asians to 32.3 percent among whites.¹⁰

Past month alcohol users aged 12 to 20 drank on an average of 5.9 days in the past month (Figure 1). Underage drinkers aged 18 to 20 consumed alcohol on more days in the past month than those aged 12 to 17 (6.7 vs. 4.6 days). Male underage drinkers used alcohol on more days in the past month than their female counterparts (6.6 vs. 5.1 days). The number of days of alcohol use in the past month varied by race/ethnicity, ranging from an average of 4.2 days among Asians to an average of 8.3 days in the past month among Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders.

Figure 1. Average Number of Days of Alcohol Use in the Past Month among Past Month Alcohol Users Aged 12 to 20, by Demographic Characteristics: 2005-2006

Past month alcohol users aged 12 to 20 consumed an average of 4.9 drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month (Figure 2). The average number of drinks consumed per day varied by demographic characteristics. Past month alcohol users aged 18 to 20 averaged more drinks per day than their counterparts aged 12 to 17 (5.2 vs. 4.5 drinks). Among underage past month alcohol users, males consumed an average of 5.8 drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month, and females consumed an average of 4.0 drinks per day on the days they drank. Among underage past month drinkers, the average number of drinks consumed per day ranged from 2.8 drinks per day among blacks to 6.4 drinks per day among Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders.

Figure 2. Average Number of Drinks Consumed per Day on the Days Used Alcohol in the Past Month among Past Month Alcohol Users Aged 12 to 20, by Demographic Characteristics: 2005-2006

Among past month alcohol users, drinkers aged 21 or older averaged more days of alcohol consumption in the past month than underage drinkers (8.7 vs. 5.9 days). However, underage drinkers consumed, on average, more drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month than drinkers aged 21 or older (4.9 vs. 2.8 drinks).