Binge Drinking
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Headline

Binge drinking among eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders declined modestly during the late 1990's and early 2000's, most notably among twelfth graders. However, these declines slowed in the mid-2000's, and did not change significantly between 2006 and 2007. (See Figure 1)

Importance

Alcohol use among youth is associated with a wide variety of risky behaviors and poor outcomes, including unprotected sexual intercourse, vulnerability to coerced sexual activity, the use of marijuana, and poor academic performance.^1,2 In 2006, one third of all traffic deaths among youth ages 15 to 20 were alcohol-related.³ Alcohol use among adolescents is also related to an increased risk of alcohol dependence in adulthood. Binge drinking can contribute to many health disorders including cancer, liver, pancreatic, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as a variety of gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, and reproductive system disorders.⁴ Contextual risk factors associated with adolescent drinking include having alcoholic parents; a lack of parental support, monitoring, and communication; and having peers who drink.⁵

Trends

The percentage of adolescents in grades eight, ten, and twelve who report engaging in binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks) declined modestly during the late 1990's and early 2000's. By 2007, however, declines had slowed or stalled, with rates of 10 percent among eighth graders, 22 percent among tenth graders, and 26 percent among twelfth graders. (See Figure 1)

Differences by Gender

By twelfth grade, males are much more likely than females to binge drink (30 percent versus 22 percent, respectively, in 2006). This difference decreases in tenth grade and is non-existent in eighth. For example, in 2006, 22 percent of tenth grade boys reported bringe drinking, as compared with 20 percent of their female peers. Eighth grade boys and girls, however, were equally likely to drink heavily, with 11 percent reporting binge drinking within the previous two weeks. (See Table 1)

Differences by Race and Ethnicity⁶

White and Hispanic students are more likely than black students to engage in heavy drinking at all ages. This difference increases as students get older. For example, among twelfth graders in 2006, only 11 percent of black students reported binge drinking, compared with 30 percent of white students. (See Figure 2)

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Differences by Age

Twelfth graders are more than twice as likely to report heavy drinking as eighth graders. In 2007, 26 percent of twelfth graders reported binge drinking, compared with 22 percent of tenth graders and 10 percent of eighth graders.⁷ (See Figure 1)

Differences by College Plans

Students who plan to complete four years or more of college are less likely than those who have no such plans to binge drink. This relationship is stronger among younger students, though it is still evident by grade 12. (See Figure 3)

Related Indicators

Drunk Driving, Heavy Drinking Among Parents, Substance Free Youth

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State and Local Estimates

2007 estimates for binge drinking are available for high school students (grades 9-12) for select states and cities from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) at http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm

For 2005-2006, state estimates for binge drinking among youth ages 12-17 and 18-25 (within the prior month) are available from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k6State/2k6state.pdf (See Table B.1)
NOTE: Estimates of drug use from the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA), used to generate these state-level estimates, are generally lower than estimates generated by the Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF). Since the MTF was the source of the national estimates presented in this indicator, users should not make direct comparisons of estimates made from the two sources. For information on methodological differences in the surveys that may be causing these differences in estimates, see Harrison, L.D. (2001). Understanding the differences in youth drug prevalence rates produced by the MTF, NHSDA, and YRBS studies. Journal of Drug Issues, 31(3), pp. 665-694.

International Estimates

International estimates of lifetime and 30-day binge drinking incidence use are available at from the European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) 2003 report, available at: http://www.espad.org/documents/Espad/ESPAD_reports/The_2003_ESPAD_report.pdf

National Goals

Through its Healthy People 2010 initiative, the federal government has set a national goal to reduce binge drinking among high school seniors from 32 percent in 1998 to 11 percent in 2010. More information is available at: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/html/objectives/26-11.htm

What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs

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Research References

¹Monti, Peter, Tevyaw, Tracy, and Brian Borsari. "Drinking Among Young Adults: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Outcome." National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Focus on Young Adult Drinking, 28(4). Available at http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/236-244.pdf Please note that some studies do not find an association between adolescent drinking and risky sexual behavior. For example, see Morrison, Diane M., Gillmore, Mary Rogers, Hoppe, Marilyn J., Gaylord, Jan, Leigh, Barbara, and Damien Rainey. 2003. "Adolescent Drinking and Sex: Findings from a Daily Diary Study." Perspectives on Sexual Reproductive Health, 35(4): 162-168. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/psrh/full/3516203.pdf

²White, Helene and Kristina Jackson. "Social and Psychological Influences on Emerging Adult Drinking Behavior." National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Focus on Young Adult Drinking, 28(4). Available at http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh284/182-190.htm.

³National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Young Drivers." Traffic Safety Facts, 2006 Data. Available at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

⁴U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000. http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/

⁵Samuel Kuperman, Grace Chan, John R. Kramer, Laura Bierut, Kathleen K. Bucholz, Louis Fox, Victor Hesselbrock, John I. Numberger Jr., Theodore R. Reich, Wendy Reich, Marc A. Schuckit. (2005). "Relationship of Age of First Drink to Child Behavioral Problems and Family Psychopathology." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29(19). 1869-1876. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 1997. "Youth Drinking: Risk Factors and Consequences." Alcohol Alert No. 37 http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa37.htm

⁶Estimates for race and ethnicity are based on 2-year averages.

⁷There is reason to believe that eighth graders over-report binge drinking. For more information see Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2000. Volume 1: Secondary School Students (NIH Publication No. 01-4924) Chapter 4, footnote 27.

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Definition

Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks in a row at least once in the prior two-week period.

Data Source

Data for 2007: Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G. & Schulenberg, J. E. (December 11, 2007). "Overall, illicit drug use by American teens continues gradual decline in 2007." University of Michigan News Service: Ann Arbor, MI. [Online]. Available http://www.monitoringthefuture.org; accessed 02/15/08

Data for 2006: Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G. & Schulenberg, J. E. (2007). Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2006. Volume I: Secondary school students (NIH Publication No. 07-6205). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Tables D-90, D-91, D-92. http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs.html#monographs/vol1_1006.pdf

Data for 2005: Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G. & Schulenberg, J. E. (2005). Tables D-69, D-70 & D-71: Trends in Two-Week Prevalence of Five or More Drinks in a Row by Subgroups for Eighth, Tenth, and Twelfth Graders. In Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2005: Volume I, Secondary School Students (NIH Publication No. 06-5883) (pp.610-613). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Also available: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol1_2005.pdf

Data for all other years: Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G. & Schulenberg, J. E. (2005). Tables D-69, D-70 & D-71: Trends in Two-Week Prevalence of Five or More Drinks in a Row by Subgroups for Eighth, Tenth, and Twelfth Graders. In Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2004: Volume I, Secondary School Students (NIH Publication No. 05-5727) (pp.606-608). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Also available: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol1_2004.pdf

Raw Data Source

The Monitoring the Future Survey
http://www.monitoringthefuture.org

Approximate Date of Next Update

Unknown

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