Alcohol Use

Alcohol is the most often used substance among middle and high school students according to Monitoring the Future, a national substance use survey annually administered by the University of Michigan.  According to the 2006 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, 56 percent of students surveyed used alcohol on at least one occasion in their lifetime. Alcohol use by adolescents poses a number of potential problems, and is associated with a number of dangerous behaviors, such as impaired driving and risky sexual behavior. Early alcohol use is also associated with academic failure, school dropout and an increased risk of alcohol abuse at later ages.

Recent Use by Pinellas County Students

• In 2006, students in grades 6, 8, and 10 reported significantly lower prevalence of recent alcohol use compared to recent use in 2004.
   

• There are no significant differences in the prevalence of recent alcohol use in 2006 compared to 2004 among students in grades 5 or 12.
   

• For grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, the pattern differs for male students versus female students:
   

• Male students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 report lower prevalence of recent alcohol use in 2006 versus 2004. A decrease of over 10 percentage points in recent alcohol use between 2004 and 2006 is particularly noteworthy among 10th-grade male students (32.6 versus 22.0 percent for 2004 and 2006, respectively).
   

• Female students in grades 6 and 8 report lower prevalence of recent alcohol use in 2006 versus 2004.

Lifetime Use by Pinellas County Students

• The 2006 prevalence of lifetime alcohol use among students in grades 6, 8, and 10 is significantly lower than the prevalence of lifetime use in 2004. 
   

• Among students in grades 5 and 12, there are no significant differences in the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use in 2006 compared to 2004.
   

• The prevalence of lifetime alcohol consumption in 2006 among male students in grades 8 and 10 is significantly lower compared to lifetime consumption reported in 2004.

Funded Agencies:

Operation PAR – Adolescent Residential Center
Operation PAR – Alpha
Operation PAR – Chemical Abuse Prevention
Operation PAR – COSA
City of St. Petersburg – TASCO Center Based Program

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