3. Alcohol Use
This chapter is divided into two main sections. Section 3.1 describes trends and patterns of alcohol use among the population aged 12 or older. Section 3.2 is concerned particularly with the use of alcohol by persons aged 12 to 20. These persons are under the legal drinking age in all 50 States and the District of Columbia.
• Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of
alcohol in the 2009 survey (51.9 percent). This translates to an estimated 130.6 million
people, which is similar to the 2008 estimate of 129.0 million people (51.6 percent).
• In 2009, nearly one quarter (23.7 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge
drinking. This translates to about 59.6 million people. The rate in 2009 is similar to the
estimate in 2008. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on the same
occasion on at least 1 day in the 30 days prior to the survey.
• In 2009, heavy drinking was reported by 6.8 percent of the population aged 12 or older, or
17.1 million people. This rate was similar to the rate of heavy drinking in 2008. Heavy
drinking is defined as binge drinking on at least 5 days in the past 30 days.
• Among young adults aged 18 to 25 in 2009, the rate of binge drinking was 41.7 percent, and
the rate of heavy drinking was 13.7 percent. These rates were similar to the rates in 2008.
• The rate of current alcohol use among youths aged 12 to 17 was 14.7 percent in 2009, which
is similar to the 2008 rate (14.6 percent). Youth binge and heavy drinking rates in 2009
(8.8 and 2.1 percent) were also similar to rates in 2008 (8.8 and 2.0 percent).
• Past month and binge drinking rates among underage persons (aged 12 to 20) declined
between 2002 and 2008, but then remained unchanged between 2008 (26.4 and 17.4 percent)
and 2009 (27.2 and 18.1 percent).
• Among persons aged 12 to 20, past month alcohol use rates in 2009 were 16.1 percent among
Asians, 20.4 percent among blacks, 22.0 percent among American Indians or Alaska Natives,
25.1 percent among Hispanics, 27.5 percent among those reporting two or more races, and
30.4 percent among whites.
• In 2009, 55.9 percent of current drinkers aged 12 to 20 reported that their last use of alcohol
in the past month occurred in someone else's home, and 29.2 percent reported that it had
occurred in their own home. About one third (30.3 percent) paid for the alcohol the last time
they drank, including 9.0 percent who purchased the alcohol themselves and 21.3 percent
who gave money to someone else to purchase it. Among those who did not pay for the
alcohol they last drank, 37.1 percent got it from an unrelated person aged 21 or older, 19.9
percent from another person younger than 21 years old, and 20.6 percent from a parent,
guardian, or other adult family member.
• In 2009, an estimated 12.0 percent of persons aged 12 or older drove under the influence of
alcohol at least once in the past year. This percentage has dropped since 2002, when it was
14.2 percent. The rate of driving under the influence of alcohol was highest among persons
aged 21 to 25 (24.8 percent).
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