- Prevalence of Underage Alcohol Use:
- Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2018 NSDUH, 29.8 percent of 15-year-olds report that they have had at least 1 drink in their lives.14 About 7.1 million people ages 12–2015 (18.8 percent of this age group16) reported drinking alcohol in the past month (18.2 percent of males and 19.5 percent of females16).
- Prevalence of Binge Drinking: According to the 2018 NSDUH, approximately 4.3 million people15 (about 11.4 percent16) ages 12–20 (11.3 percent of males and 11.4 percent of females16) reported binge drinking in the past month.
- Prevalence of Heavy Alcohol Use: According to the 2018 NSDUH, approximately 861,000 people15 (about 2.3 percent16) ages 12–20 (2.6 percent of males and 1.9 percent of females16) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month.
- Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use:
- Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years could interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing AUD. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, including injuries, sexual assaults, and even deaths—including those from car crashes.17
14 SAMHSA. Population prevalence estimates (%) are weighted by the person-level analysis weight and derived from the 2018 NSDUH public-use data file. Lifetime alcohol use is defined as ever, even once, having had a drink of any type of alcoholic beverage (a can or bottle of beer, a glass of wine or a wine cooler, a shot of distilled spirits, or a mixed drink with distilled spirits in it), not counting a sip or two from a drink. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2018 (NSDUH-2018) Public-Use File Dataset. Available at: https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/study-dataset/national-survey-drug-use-and-health-2018-nsduh-2018-ds0001-nid18758. Accessed 11/18/19.
15 SAMHSA. 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 7.16A—Alcohol Use in Lifetime, Past Year, and Past Month among Persons Aged 12 to 20, by Gender: Numbers in Thousands, 2002-2018. Available at: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHDetailedTabs2018R2/NSDUHDetTabsSect7pe2018.htm#tab7-16a. Accessed 12/2/19.
16 SAMHSA. 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 7.16B—Alcohol Use in Lifetime, Past Year, and Past Month among Persons Aged 12 or Older, by Detailed Age Category: Percentages, 2017 and 2018. Available at https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHDetailedTabs2018R2/NSDUHDetTabsSect7pe2018.htm#tab7-16b. Accessed 12/2/19.
17 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Alcohol Alert, No. 67, “Underage Drinking,” 2006. Available at: https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm. Accessed 9/19/16.
18 SAMHSA. The estimates are weighted by the person-level analysis weight and derived from the 2018 NSDUH public-use data file. Past-month alcohol use: a drink of an alcoholic beverage (a can or bottle of beer, a glass of wine or a wine cooler, a shot of distilled spirits, or a mixed drink with distilled spirits in it), not counting a sip or two from a drink in the past 30 days. Past-month binge alcohol use: 5 or more drinks on the same occasion for males or 4 or more drinks on the same occasion for females on at least 1 day in the past 30 days. Past-month heavy alcohol use: 5 or more drinks on the same occasion for males or 4 or more drinks on the same occasion for females on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days. Full-time college students: full-time students ages 18 to 22 enrolled in school and at college level. Other persons aged 18–22: those not enrolled in school, enrolled in college part-time, enrolled in other grades either full- or part-time, or enrolled with no other information available. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2018 (NSDUH-2018) Public-Use File Dataset. Available at: https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/study/national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-2018-nid18757. Accessed 11/15/19.
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