Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Underage Drinking

• One-page fact sheet (in English, color):  Tips for Parents: Underage Drinking In California ... & What Can You Do?
• One-page fact sheet (in English, black and white):  Tips for Parents: Underage Drinking In California ... & What Can You Do?
• One-page fact sheet (in Spanish, color):  Ayudas para Padres: Consumo de Alcohol entre Menores de Edad en California
• One-page fact sheet (in Spanish, black and white):  Ayudas para Padres: Consumo de Alcohol entre Menores de Edad en California
• Handbook:  Tips for Parents:  Underage Drinking In California ... & What Can You Do? 

If you have problems downloading any of the above publications or if you need printed copies, please contact Wendy Tully at Wendy.Tully@doj.ca.gov. 

UNDERAGE DRINKING: A National Snapshot:

• Alcohol use remains extremely widespread among today’s teenagers.  In the United States, nearly three quarters of today’s students (73%) have consumed alcohol (more than just a few sips) by the end of high school; and about two fifths (41%) have done so by 8th grade (Monitoring the Future, 2006).
• And, more than half (56%) of the 12th graders and a fifth (20%) of the 8th graders in the nation in& 2006 report having been drunk at least once in their life (Monitoring the Future, 2006).
• In 2006, about 10.8 million persons aged 12 to 20 (28.3 percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in the past month (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, 2006).
• Approximately 7.2 million (19.0 percent) were binge drinkers (defined as drinking five or more drinks in one setting), and 2.4 million (6.2 percent) were heavy drinkers.  These figures have remained essentially the same since 2002 (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Department of Health and Human Services, SAMHSA, 2006).

UNDERAGE DRINKING:  A California Snapshot:

• In California, 12% of 7^th graders, 24% of 9^th and 36% of 11^th graders reported having at least one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days (2005-06 California Student Survey ).
• And, 5% of 7^th graders, 12 % of 9^th and 21% of 11^th graders in California reported they engaged in binge drinking – consuming five drinks in a row in the past 30 days (2005-06 California Student Survey ).
• Each year in California, over 6,200 people aged 20 and younger are killed and injured in alcohol-involved collisions (California Highway Patrol, 2005).

Where are minors getting alcohol?

• 80% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol at a party;
• 67% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol from their home (without their parents knowing about it);
• 65% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol from relatives or an older sibling who is over 21;
• 40% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol from someone else's parent(s) (not their own);
• 36% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol by using a fake ID; and
• 32% of teens say it's easy to get alcohol from their parents (with their parents knowing about it)  (American Medical Association, 2005).

Underage Drinking -- Town Hall Meetings

Underage drinking is a leading public health problem in the United States.  To help address the problem, Town Hall Meetings took place in March 2006, in about half of California's 58 counties as part of a national effort to increase the understanding of underage drinking and its consequences, and to encourage individuals, families and communities to address the problem.  The Town Hall Meetings provided an opportunity for communities to learn more about the new research on the issue, and to discuss how their community can best prevent underage alcohol use.  These Town Hall Meetings were designed to alert and empower the community as well as generate interest from the media.

History of California's Efforts to stop Underage Drinking and Driving

• 1953
  California enacted its current minimum drinking age of 21. (Section 25658 Business and Professions Code)
  
  
• 1984
  California began its pilot program of sobriety checkpoints. In 1987 the California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the checkpoints. (Anti-DUI Program Elements, California Highway Patrol, 2000)
  
  
• 1985
  The community-based Sober Graduation Program began in California.  The program targets teens during the prom, graduation and end-of-the-year activities. (CHP, 2000)
  
  
• 1990
  California lowered the "legal" blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit while driving from .10 percent to .08 percent. (Section 23152b and 23153b, Vehicle Code [VC])
  
  California enacted AB 3620, which funds the Designated Driver Program to encourage and reward people who choose to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages on a particular occasion in order to drive others home safely.
  
  
• 1994
  California's "zero tolerance law" (23136 VC) was enacted.  The law allows for a civil/administrative license suspension for those who are under 21 years of age and drive with a BAC of .01 percent or more.  The law also requires any person under 21 years old to submit to a preliminary alcohol screening device or other evidentiary test in order to determine their BAC or face a suspension for refusing to do so.
  
  
• 1997
  Senate Bill 1329 (Chapter 760) amended the law relating to minors' driving rights, and requires that:
  • Drivers under the age of 18 hold the specified instruction permit for not less than 6 months prior to applying for a provisional license.
  • The person complete 50 hours of supervised driving practice, with not less than 10 of those hours to include driving during darkness.

  The provisional driver's license be subject to specified conditions, including that for the first 6 months after issuance of a provisional license the licensee not drive between the hours of 12:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. or transport passengers who are under 20 years of age, unless accompanied and supervised by a licensed driver who is the licensee's parent or guardian or a person older than 25 years of age.

Page updated January 2008.