First Time Users of Alcohol (1965 - 2003)

Trends in Initiation of Alcohol Use (1965 - 2003)

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Table 4.16A Numbers (in Thousands) of Persons Who Initiated Alcohol Use in the United States, Their Mean Age at First Use, and Rates of First Use (Per 1,000 Person-Years of Exposure): 1965-2003, Based on 2002-2004 NSDUHs
YEAR NUMBER OF INITIATES (1,000s) MEAN AGE AGE-SPECIFIC RATES1
All Ages Under 18 18 or Older 12-17 18-25
1965 3,261 1,817 1,444 17.4 96.1 223.0
1966 2,968 1,638 1,330 17.1 86.6 213.3
1967 3,604 1,959 1,645 17.2 104.4 246.2
1968 3,552 2,059 1,493 17.2 108.2 216.3
1969 3,893 2,213 1,679 17.1 115.3 259.3
1970 4,003 2,390 1,613 16.9 122.2 261.0
1971 3,922 2,441 1,481 16.8 125.4 239.0
1972 4,272 2,703 1,569 16.9 141.9 260.1
1973 4,072 2,685 1,387 16.5 142.7 234.9
1974 4,211 2,845 1,366 16.7 153.4 233.1
1975 3,919 2,597 1,322 16.6 140.9 226.0
1976 3,930 2,600 1,330 16.6 142.6 229.0
1977 4,130 2,811 1,319 16.4 158.8 242.3
1978 3,852 2,702 1,150 16.3 159.2 209.8
1979 3,993 2,721 1,273 16.5 167.1 235.4
1980 3,626 2,453 1,173 16.6 155.1 220.8
1981 3,606 2,461 1,145 16.7 158.9 214.7
1982 3,466 2,403 1,063 16.6 152.9 202.9
1983 3,289 2,199 1,090 16.5 141.4 217.7
1984 3,365 2,367 998 16.5 156.6 198.4
1985 3,263 2,237 1,026 16.7 149.6 212.7
1986 3,316 2,404 912 16.1 165.0 192.6
1987 3,119 2,063 1,057 16.7 144.7 218.4
1988 2,909 1,971 938 16.4 138.9 194.7
1989 3,195 2,140 1,055 16.7 152.3 210.2
1990 2,933 1,941 993 16.8 135.3 198.0
1991 2,890 1,875 1,015 16.6 125.7 211.1
1992 3,059 2,009 1,050 16.8 128.9 207.5
1993 3,190 2,192 998 16.4 138.4 198.0
1994 3,311 2,260 1,051 16.2 137.5 206.5
1995 3,299 2,218 1,081 16.5 132.4 209.1
1996 3,473 2,338 1,136 16.6 134.5 221.3
1997 3,668 2,538 1,130 16.3 141.8 220.4
1998 3,882 2,633 1,248 16.4 145.8 238.8
1999 4,072 2,832 1,240 16.5 155.6 233.2
2000 4,764 3,358 1,407 16.3 191.6 273.3
20012 4,906 3,500 1,406 16.3 200.7 277.4
20023 5,240 3,748 1,492 16.2 216.6 290.0
20033 -- -- 1,442 -- 228.2 284.1
*Low precision; no estimate reported.
-- Not available.
NOTE: Comparisons between years, particularly between recent estimates and those from 10 or more years prior, should be made with caution due to potential bias from reporting and other sources.
1 The numerator of each rate is the number of persons in the age group who initiated use of the drug in the specified year, while the denominator is the person-time exposure of persons in the age group measured in thousands of years.
2 Estimated using 2003 and 2004 data only.
3 Estimated using 2004 data only.
Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

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