Written by:  Dodie Huff-Fletcher, Ph.D.  Submitted by Deanna Felts, M.S.

Prevention Division of Seven Counties Services, Inc.

How much do you know about underage drinking?  I just took a web quiz conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that tests people’s knowledge about underage drinking and I was surprised to find that many people who take the quiz don’t score so well. The quiz questions come from research sponsored by member agencies of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking.

The quiz is intended to dispel myths and stimulate action to prevent and reduce underage alcohol use.  Want you find out how much you know (or don’t know)? Try these:

1.  What percentage of youth aged 12 to 17 met criteria for alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse in 2005?

a. 5.5%

b. 2.1%

c. 19%

2.  When do most kids who drink begin doing so?

a. high school prom

b. 7th and 8th grade

c. when start dating

3.  How much alcohol and how often does the average underage drinker consume?

a. a can of beer once or twice a month

b. 5 drinks at a time, 6 times a month

c. the equivalent of a pint of whisky every month

4.  What is the definition of binge drinking?

a. drinking until you throw up or pass out

b. 5 or more drinks at once time

c. drinking more than a pint of whisky or vodka, more than a fifth of wine, or more than 2 six-packs at a time

Check out the answers below to see how you did.

If you’d like to get better educated on underage drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has regular E-Alerts with useful information, tips and tools aimed at reducing underage drinking.  If you would like more information about what SAMHSA has to offer, please visit their website:  http://www.samhsa.gov/.

If you suspect or know your teen is using alcohol or other drugs, contact your local Prevention Center, or click here to get help.

Answers

Number 1: A. According to SAMHSA’s 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 5.5 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence in 2005, as cited in The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, 2007.

Number 2: B. According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, 2007, the peak years of alcohol initiation are during 7th and 8th grades.

Number 3: B. When youth between the ages of 12 and 20 consume alcohol, on average they drink about five drinks per occasion about six times a month.

Number 4: B. According to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, 2007, depending on the study, binge drinking is defined as “five or more drinks on one occasion” or “five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more drinks in a row for women.”