NCJ Number
222601
Date Published
March 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on combined data from the 2005 and 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which includes questions that ask persons ages 12 or older to report the frequency and quantity of their alcohol use during the 30 days prior to the interview, this report focuses on the frequency and quantity of past-month alcohol use among underage drinkers (i.e., persons ages 12 to 20 who consume alcohol).
Abstract
The combined 2005 and 2006 NSDUH data indicate that an annual average of 28.3 percent of persons ages 12 to 20 in the United States (an estimated 10.8 million persons annually) drank alcohol in the past month. Past-month alcohol users ages 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. Under age drinkers ages 18 to 20 consumed alcohol on more days in the past month than those ages 12 to 17 (6.7 days compared to 4.6 days). Male underage drinkers used alcohol on more days in the past month than their female counterparts (6.6 compared to 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. Underage drinkers ages 12 to 20 consumed, on average, more drinks per day on the days they drank in the past month than persons ages 21 or older (4.9 compared to 2.8 drinks). 1 table, 2 figures, and 10 notes