The 2020 National Institute on Drug Abuse Study Shows Disturbing Trends in Teenage Alcohol Use
According to the 2020 Monitoring the Future Study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over one-quarter of 8th graders have admitted to using alcohol in their lifetime. Over 20 percent admit to drinking alcohol in the last year and nearly 10 percent admit to having an alcoholic beverage in the past month.
The prevalence of alcohol use is substantially more for students in 10th and 12th grade. As noted in the study, just shy of half of all 10th graders surveyed admitted to drinking alcohol in their lifetime. Additionally, over 40 percent admitted to having an alcoholic beverage within the past year and over 20 percent said that they had alcohol within the past month. A staggering one percent of 10th graders admitted to drinking daily and slightly less than 10 percent said that they had 5 or more drinks in a row.
Of the 12th graders studied, over 60 percent admitted to drinking alcohol in their lifetime, and over half admitted that they had alcoholic beverages in the past year. Over one-third said that they had alcohol in the past month and a little less than 3 percent admitted to drinking daily. Binge drinking was also more prevalent among this age group with over 16 percent stating that they had five or more drinks in a row.
All categories in the three grades surveyed (8th, 10th, and 12th) were up slightly compared to the previous year, but there were no significant changes from 2019 to 2020. The study goes to show that alcohol use is prevalent at a very early age. Most students in 8th grade are between 13 and 14 years old.