Is consuming alcohol by American young common in the US?

17 comments

1. Yeah, I know few peers that didn’t drink underage.

2. Yeah, fairly common. I don’t think I know anyone that wasn’t when they were underage, especially in college.

3. Sadly yes. It’s used for rebellion, or for pressuring each other into other activities they’d normally not do, or for self-medication, or a bunch of other dumb reasons.

4. Yes and no. If you really want to drink underage, it isn’t that hard.

   There’s also a lot of teens who don’t find it appealing.

5. I didn’t know anyone in high school who didn’t drink.

6. Yes and no, it depends.

   Most teens that drink do so because of peer pressure, but not all teens have those type of friends or, sadly, any friends, so the appeal isn’t always there. Also upbringing plays a big role, as there are kids that do not find it appealing and there are kids that are trying to kill their livers.

   For me, I never had an appeal for it growing up, despite the easy access I had to alcohol in my own home. We had a bar in the house and the only people that drank from it were guests.

7. Pretty common, it depends on the context though.

8. [This is best googled](https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/underage-drinking).

9. Define “young”.

   18-20 absolutely

   15-17 less common but far from unheard of

   Under 15 relatively uncommon but it does happen

   That said, this is as of today. 20+ years ago it was much more common for younger kids (high school and middle school age) to drink.

10. It is common meaning we all know someone or were that someone who drank at least once while underage. It’s not universal,

    Here is what the CDC has to say about it along with some stats:

    https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm

11. In some states it is legal for kids to consume alcohol in the home when provided by their parent, or even to be served in public if their legal guardian is present and okays it.

    I started allowing my kids to have small controlled amounts of alcohol at age 15. They don’t get drunk at home, but on the weekend I’ll let them have a single small glass of wine with dinner or a single bottle of a hard lemonade or cider type thing.

    When I was their age my mother took a very hard stance of absolutely ZERO exposure to alcohol through my teenage years with fairly severe punishment if she found out otherwise. This left me completely and entirely unprepared for how to handle alcohol and drink responsibly when I moved out and was finally exposed to the stuff. I don’t want that for my kids, so instead they are learning what it feels like to have a small amount of alcohol and how to moderate their intake. I’m sure they will still overdo it when they get older like most kids, but at least they will recognize the feeling of a “buzz” and know “okay, if I go past this it can get uncomfortable.”

12. Sadly, yeah. 85.6 percent of people ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol. Younger as well

13. Yes. Almost all of my friends drank underaged.

14. Currently in my early 30’s but I can only think of a single person who didn’t drink underage. Most started in high school.

15. I know I drank when I was underage, as did pretty much everyone else I knew.

16. For many teenagers in American, if not most, it’s easier to get their hands on weed than alcohol since kids sell it. Weed was very popular in both my middle and high school, but people didn’t really start drinking much until we were 17 or so.

17. Depends, because it’s illegal and if they’re willing to risk going to juvy.