People ages 12 through 20 drink
11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the
United States.3 Although youth drink less
often than adults do, when they do drink,
they drink more. That is because young
people consume more than 90 percent
of their alcohol by binge drinking. Binge
drinking is consuming many drinks on an
occasion (see box). Drinking alcohol and
binge drinking become more prevalent
as young people get older.