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Trends in Initiation of Alcohol Use
Relative to "Legal" Drinking Age
(1965 - 2002)


View by number of users

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004


Initiation of Alcohol Use Relative to Age 21 (1965 - 2002)
Year Total Under 21 % of Total 21 or Over % of Total Avg Age
1965 3,261,000 2,677,000 82.1 584,000 17.9 17.4
1966 2,968,000 2,524,000 85.0 444,000 15.0 17.1
1967 3,604,000 3,099,000 86.0 505,000 14.0 17.2
1968 3,552,000 3,011,000 84.8 542,000 15.3 17.2
1969 3,893,000 3,276,000 84.2 616,000 15.8 17.1
1970 4,003,000 3,361,000 84.0 642,000 16.0 16.9
1971 3,922,000 3,314,000 84.5 609,000 15.5 16.8
1972 4,272,000 3,610,000 84.5 662,000 15.5 16.9
1973 4,072,000 3,648,000 89.6 424,000 10.4 16.5
1974 4,211,000 3,694,000 87.7 517,000 12.3 16.7
1975 3,919,000 3,449,000 88.0 470,000 12.0 16.6
1976 3,930,000 3,435,000 87.4 494,000 12.6 16.6
1977 4,130,000 3,678,000 89.1 452,000 10.9 16.4
1978 3,852,000 3,405,000 88.4 447,000 11.6 16.3
1979 3,993,000 3,518,000 88.1 476,000 11.9 16.5
1980 3,626,000 3,219,000 88.8 407,000 11.2 16.6
1981 3,606,000 3,210,000 89.0 396,000 11.0 16.7
1982 3,466,000 3,052,000 88.1 414,000 11.9 16.6
1983 3,289,000 2,865,000 87.1 424,000 12.9 16.5
1984 3,365,000 2,987,000 88.8 378,000 11.2 16.5
1985 3,263,000 2,846,000 87.2 417,000 12.8 16.7
1986 3,316,000 2,950,000 89.0 366,000 11.0 16.1
1987 3,119,000 2,698,000 86.5 422,000 13.5 16.7
1988 2,909,000 2,524,000 86.8 385,000 13.2 16.4
1989 3,195,000 2,734,000 85.6 461,000 14.4 16.7
1990 2,933,000 2,465,000 84.0 468,000 16.0 16.8
1991 2,890,000 2,446,000 84.6 444,000 15.4 16.6
1992 3,059,000 2,566,000 83.9 493,000 16.1 16.8
1993 3,190,000 2,767,000 86.7 423,000 13.3 16.4
1994 3,311,000 2,869,000 86.7 442,000 13.3 16.2
1995 3,299,000 2,847,000 86.3 451,000 13.7 16.5
1996 3,473,000 2,983,000 85.9 490,000 14.1 16.6
1997 3,668,000 3,220,000 87.8 448,000 12.2 16.3
1998 3,882,000 3,413,000 87.9 468,000 12.1 16.4
1999 4,072,000 3,561,000 87.5 511,000 12.5 16.5
2000 4,764,000 4,189,000 87.9 575,000 12.1 16.3
2001 4,906,000 4,347,000 88.6 559,000 11.4 16.3
2002 5,240,000 4,634,000 88.4 606,000 11.6 16.2
Averages 3,669,026 3,186,605 86.7 482,421 13.3 16.6


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