page_title: Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States
section_title: Rates
hierarchical_section_title: Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States / Statistics / Rates
caption_attribution_description: English: Current Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20 in the United States. Source: SAMHSA
context_page_description: Alcohol consumption by youth in the United States of America is an umbrella term for alcohol consumption by individuals under the age of 18 in the country.
  Although the minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21 in all states, the legal details for consumption vary greatly. While a few states completely ban alcohol usage for people under 18, the majority have exceptions that permit consumption.
  Underage drinking has become an activity primarily done behind closed doors. Typically, underage drinkers hide their alcohol consumption by drinking quickly before they go out, which is often referred to as pregaming or pre-partying. Brittany Levine explained in her article "Pre-Gaming" in USA Today that "of all drinking events involving pre-partying, 80% involved additional drinking afterward." Those who oppose a complete ban on underage drinking argue that it is important that minors be introduced to alcohol in a controlled environment, so that supervision and guidance might occur instead of experimentation. Some parents are willing to provide alcohol for their children if they drink it in a controlled environment.
context_section_description: Although the incidence of underage drinking is still significant, government, university and national statistics have confirmed that alcohol use and binge drinking among high school students has declined steadily over the past three decades, and continues to decline annually. According to a United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study involving 30,000 youths aged 12 to 20 years old, between 2002 and 2013 the percentage of underage drinkers declined from 28.8% to 22.7%. Underage binge drinkers decreased 19.3% to 14.2%. A December 2014 study performed by the University of Michigan also found that 75% of senior high school students disapproved of drinking excessively on the weekends. Alcohol still proved to be the favored substance of abuse among American youths however, with tobacco and illicit drugs following in rank.
caption: Current Alcohol Use among Persons Aged 12 to 20 in the United States.
  Source: SAMHSA[21]
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