Alcohol: Our Kid's Drug of Choice

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug among America’s youth. More young people drink alcohol than smoke tobacco or use marijuana. -- National Research Council / Institute of Medicine, 2004)

• Each day, more than 5,000 kids in the United States

under age 16 take their first full drink of alcohol.

• 1 in 6 eighth-graders are current drinkers.

• 1 in 5 youth, ages 12 to 20, binge drink (5 or more drinks

on one occasion).

• Most kids drink to get drunk: more than 90% of the

alcohol consumed by 12- to 20-year-olds is drunk when

they are bingeing.

http://camy.org/research/files/brochure0305.pdf