Texas Underage Drinking Statistics

The Texas School Survey of Substance Use Among Students in Grades 7–12 in 2004 reported the following findings:

• Alcohol is the most widely used substance among Texas secondary students.
• Texas secondary students reported 68% lifetime alcohol use and 33% current use.
• Binge drinking—having five or more drinks on one occasion—was reported by 23% of secondary students.
• About 68% of secondary students said it was very or somewhat easy to get alcohol if they wanted some. The major sources for youth to obtain alcoholic beverages were from parties and friends.
• 49% of secondary students reported alcohol was used at one or more of the parties they attended.
• As students got older, the perceived parental disapproval of beer use decreased.
• Young people who said their parents disapproved of teens their age using substances were less likely to use the substances.

The Texas School Survey is a joint project of the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Public Policy Research Institute. The survey results were based on responses of 135,662 students in grades seven through 12 sampled from 78 school districts in the state.

Full survey results can be found here.