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# Drinking alcohol common among American youth
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/drinking_alcohol_common_among_american_youth-2703100341/
- Published: 2010-03-27T15:40:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T15:56:23.000Z
- Description: A federal analysis of 2006-2008 survey data found that 27.6 percent of Americans aged 12 to 20 drank alcohol in the past month, and 8.6 percent of those drinkers bought it themselves. Rates ranged from 13.7 percent in Utah to 40 percent in some states.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Dining, Recipes & Dining, Alcohol, #vivvo-import

A study released Thursday by the federal government says that 27.6 percent of American youth aged 12 to 20 reported they drank alcohol in the past month and about 8.6 percent of these drinkers sid they purchased alcohol themself last time they drank.

The survey results from an analysis of data collected between 2006 and 2008 from the national Survey on Drug use and Health also show that the underage drinking rates vary by state, with the lowest 13.7 percent in Utah and the highest 40 percent in some other states.

Drinking alcohol can raise risk of unintentional injury, violence, murder and suicide among American youth. Research has found people who start alcohol consuption at the age of 15 are six times more likely to suffer alcohol problems than those who started it at the age of 21 or older.

Alcoholic beverages are recognized by the federal goverment as a human carcinogen. High consumption of alcohol has been linked to a number of malignancies including breast cancer.

By Jimmy Downs