Underage drinking is a serious health and safety issue. Research provides insight into the nature of the problem and strategies for reducing underage drinking.
Recent Findings
Teen Parties: Who Has Parties? What Predicts Whether There is Alcohol? Who Supplies the Alcohol?
By Bettina Friese
PRC Publications
Strategic Media Advocacy for Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws
By Phillip M. Wilbur and Kathryn Stewart
Strategies to Reduce Underage Alcohol Use: Typology and Brief Overview
Prepared by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
Young Impaired Drivers: The Nature of the Problem and Possible Solutions
A Workshop – National Academy of Sciences Jonsson Conference Center
Frequently Asked Questions about Youth Drinking
By Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D. and Joel W. Grube, Ph.D.
New Zealand Lowers Drinking Age–Case Study
By Kypros Kypri, Ph.D.
Status of 14 Under-Age-21 Drinking Laws in the United States
By James C. Fell, Ph.D., Robert B. Voas, Ph.D., and Deborah A. Fisher, Ph.D.
The Effects of Establishing Closing Hours in Juárez, Mexico
By Robert B. Voas, Ph.D., Eduardo Romano, Ph.D., and Tara Kelley-Baker, Ph.D.
Facts and Myths about College Drinking: A Serious Problem with Serious Solutions
By Kathryn Stewart, Prevention Research Center, December 2004
Why is Work Intensity Associated With Heavy Alcohol Use Among Adolescents?
By Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D., Robert L. Flewelling, Ph.D. and Theresa Russell, M.A. Journal of Adolescent Health, January 2004
Preventing Underage Alcohol Access: Essential Elements for Policy, Deterrence and Public Support
Prevention Research Center, January 2004
Is Commercial Alcohol Availability Related to Adolescent Alcohol Sources and Alcohol Use?
Story of Discovery. By Mallie J. Paschall, Ph.D., Joel W. Grube, Ph.D., Carol Black, M.A. and Christopher L. Ringwalt, Dr.P.H.
Mixed messages: Contributions to adolescent drinking and driving
Story of Discovery. By Peter Nygaard, Ph.D. & Joel W. Grube, Ph.D.
Emerging Adults’ Substance Use And Risky Behaviors In Club Settings
Story of Discovery. By Brenda Miller, C. Debra Furr-Holden, Robert B. Voas, and Kristin Bright.
Ethnic Differences in the Effect of College on Drinking By Tamar M. J. Antin, Dr.P.H., M.A.A., Sharon Lipperman-Kreda, Ph.D., Mallie J. Paschall,
Ph.D., Miesha Marzell, Ph.D., and Robynn Battle, Ed.D., M.P.H, 2014
The Young Impaired Driver Problem: Prospects for a Safer Future
By Kathryn Stewart
The Young Impaired Driver Problem: Recent Developments and Future Progress
By Kathryn Stewart, Barry M. Sweedler
Document / Presentation
Youth Drinking Rates and Problems: A Comparison of European Countries and the United States
By Bettina Friese, Ph.D. and Joel W. Grube, Ph.D.
PRC Presentations
Environmental Prevention and Underage Drinking
By Kathryn Stewart
Community Based Projects to Prevent Underage Drinking
By Kathryn Stewart
Media Release
Mystery Shoppers: Can they prevent sales of alcohol to minors?
June 2018
What are the social situations in which underage drinking is most likely to occur?
June 2018
Where Teens Drink and What Parents Can Do
April 2018
Marijuana and Alcohol Use: What puts Teens at risk?
August 2017
Legalization of Medical Marijuana is Related to Use among Youth in Oregon
June 2017
Adolescents and Edible Marijuana: Patterns and Problems
April 2017
Who Drinks Where: Youth Selection of Drinking Contexts
April 2016
Where Underage Drinking Occurs Related to Drinking Problems
August 2015
Risky Drinking among Intercollegiate and Intramural College Athletes
July 2015
Where different teens drink alcohol: Risky and underage drinking contexts
June 2015
Teenagers who live in communities with strict “social host” laws are less likely to spend their weekends drinking at parties.
Click here to read the entire media release
Law enforcement and community drinking norms can affect underage alcohol use.
Click here to read the entire media release
Comprehensive Community Approaches to Underage Drinking Reduce Sales to Minors
July 2012
Community-based alcohol access reduction and enforcement approaches to underage drinking prevention can be effective in reducing sales to minors.
Alcohol outlets associated with injuries among youth and young adults
December 2009
A new study of places that sell alcohol – bars, restaurants liquor stores, convenience stores, etc. – shows that the type and location of these outlets appears to affect alcohol related injures among youth and young adults.
Dangerous college drinking: Prevention is possible, studies suggest
June 2009
Alcohol is sometimes seen as part and parcel of college life, but there are programs that can significantly reduce students’ risky drinking.
Colleges, communities combat off-campus student drinking
June 2009
Programs that bring colleges and their surrounding neighborhoods together may help reduce off-campus drinking problems, a new study suggests.
Study Shows Correlation Between Number of Alcohol Retailers and Youth Injuries
September 2008
Children who live in neighborhoods with a high number of alcohol outlets may be at a higher risk of personal injury, according to a research study that will be published in the November 2008 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Heavy drinking patterns learned when young can lead to long term health problems
November 2007
Heavy drinking early in life is associated with overweight, abdominal fat, and low levels of “good” cholesterol later in life, increasing risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.
Higher beer taxes, 21 drinking age reduces traffic deaths of young people, study finds
April 2007
Communities with few alcohol regulations could consider raising taxes on beer as a way to reduce drunken driving fatalities among young people. Alcohol-control policies such as the minimum legal drinking age and raising beer taxes have helped prevent youth access to alcohol and the problems of underage drinking.
Heavy drinking still acute among young military members
March 2006
Young military men in all branches of service drink significantly more alcohol than their civilian counterparts. And, military culture contributes to this ongoing problem, according to a recently published report.
Kids like cute creatures in beer ads, more likely to buy brand of beer, study suggests
October 2005
A Budweiser commercial showing a rock star ferret replacing talking lizards as the official beer mascot was appealing to children 10 to 17 years old and made them want to buy Bud, recent PRC research showed
Community vigilance on alcohol control can cut teen drinking
December 2004
Community attitudes and efforts on underage drinking may have the biggest impact on whether teens binge drink and drive drunk, according to new research
College Students are Bingeing to Extremes
September 2004
With millions of high school seniors entering college this month, university administrators need to be vigilant in combating extremely hazardous drinking that new research shows is worse among freshman males.
Heavy Drinking Among College Students Can Be Predicted
March 2004
Drinking among college students has been recognized as a serious problem on college campuses in the U.S. Research has shown that college drinkers drink more, and more often, than young people not in college.
Teens Who Work Are More Likely to Drink Heavily
January 2004
Teens who work more than ten hours per week are more likely to engage in heavy or “binge” drinking, according to a recent study by the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).
