America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007

Alcohol Use

Alcohol is the most common psychoactive substance used during adolescence. Its use is associated with motor vehicle accidents, injuries, and deaths; problems in school and in the workplace; and fighting, crime, and other serious consequences.⁹⁴ Early onset of heavy drinking, defined here as five or more alcoholic beverages in a row or during a single occasion in the previous 2 weeks, may be especially problematic, potentially increasing the likelihood of these negative outcomes.

Indicator BEH2: Percentage of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students who reported having five or more alcoholic beverages in a row in the past 2 weeks by grade, 1980–2006

• Heavy drinking, defined as having five or more alcoholic beverages in a row in the past two weeks, declined from 15 percent in 1995 to 11 percent in 2006 for 8th-graders, from 24 to 22 percent for 10th-graders, and from 30 to 25 percent for 12th-graders.
• In 2006, 11 percent of both male and female 8th-graders reported heavy drinking; for 10th-graders, the proportion was 23 percent for males and 21 percent for females. Twenty-nine percent of 12th-grade males reported heavy drinking, compared with 22 percent of 12th-grade females.
• For 10th- and 12th-graders in 2006, the percentage of White, non-Hispanic and Hispanic students who were heavy drinkers was approximately double the percentage of Black, non-Hispanic students. The percentages of 10th-graders who were heavy drinkers were 23 for White, non-Hispanic, 25 for Hispanic, and 11 for Black, non-Hispanic students. For 12th-graders, the respective percentages were 29, 25, and 12. For 8th-graders, the rate of heavy drinking was 10 percent for White, non-Hispanics, 15 percent for Hispanics, and 8 percent for Black, non-Hispanics.

 BEH2 HTML Table

 BEH2 Excel Table