Current and Binge Drinking Among High School Students - United States, 1991-2015

Abstract

Excessive drinking accounted for approximately 4,300 deaths each year among persons aged <21 years during 2006-2010,* and underage drinking cost the United States $24.3 billion in 2010 (1). CDC analyzed data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the years 1991-2015 to examine trends in drinking by U.S. high school students, and from the 2015 YRBS to assess the usual source of alcohol consumed^† and binge drinking intensity (i.e., the average number of drinks consumed per binge drinking occasion).^§ During 1991-2007, the prevalence of current drinking^¶ among high school students declined significantly, from 50.8% (1991) to 44.7% (2007), and then significantly declined to 32.8% in 2015. The prevalence of binge drinking** increased from 31.3% in 1991 to 31.5% in 1999, and then significantly declined to 17.7% in 2015. Most high school students who drank were binge drinkers (57.8%), and 43.8% of binge drinkers consumed eight or more drinks in a row. Despite progress, current drinking and binge drinking are common among high school students, and many students who binge drink do so at high intensity (i.e., eight or more drinks in a row). Widespread use of evidence-based strategies for preventing excessive drinking (e.g., increasing alcohol taxes, regulating alcohol outlet density, and having commercial host liability laws) could help reduce underage drinking and related harms.^††.

FIGURE 1

Prevalence of self-reported current drinking and binge drinking among high school students, by sex — Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, United States, 1991–2015 * One or more drinks of alcohol on ≥1 days during the 30 days before the survey. ^† Five or more drinks in a row (i.e., within a couple of hours) on ≥1 days during the 30 days before the survey.

FIGURE 2

Prevalence of self-reported binge drinking among high school students who reported current drinking, by sex — Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, United States, 1991–2015 * Five or more drinks in a row (i.e., within a couple of hours) on ≥1 days during the 30 days before the survey. ^† One or more drinks of alcohol on ≥1 days during the 30 days before the survey.