Favorite Alcoholic Drinks of Teenagers: You May Be Surprised

Ever wonder what teenagers drink, when they 'imbibe' alcohol? Look in the parents alcohol cabinet, to get a clue. These teenagers do not go for the fancy-dancy alcohol drinks of Margaritas or Daiquiris. A glass of wine is also not something they enjoy. As a matter of fact, they do not enjoy any of the alcohol types, nor the taste. They are going for the 'feel', or after effects.

Excessive alcohol consumption contributes to approximately 4,500 deaths among underage youths in the United States each year (e.g., from homicides, motor-vehicle crashes, and suicides) and an average of 60 years of life lost per death. However, little is known about the specific types of alcoholic beverages consumed by youths.

These data are important because numerous evidence-based strategies for reducing underage drinking rates are beverage-specific, including increasing alcohol excise taxes and increasing restrictions on the distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.

To examine types of alcoholic beverages usually consumed by students in 9th--12th grades, CDC analyzed 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data from the four state surveys that included a question on the type of alcohol consumed (Arkansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming).

Findings indicated that the following types of alcohol were the most popular among teen-agers:

• bourbon,
• rum,
• scotch,
• vodka, or
• whiskey

These findings suggest that considering beverage-specific alcohol consumption by youths is important when developing alcohol-control policies, specifically those related to the price and availability of particular types of alcoholic beverages.