Maine Facts
What you should know about teen alcohol use in our state
To support prevention efforts, the Office of Substance Abuse tracks alcohol use and abuse among adolescents in grades 7 through 12. In addition to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS), a random phone survey of parents across Maine asked what parents believed was happening in their households with regard to underage alcohol use.
Here are the facts:
7th Graders - approximately 12-13 yrs. old
21.1% lifetime use
7.8% past 30-day use
3.2% binge drinking
8th Graders - approximately 13-14 yrs. old
35.5% lifetime use
14.0% past 30-day use
6.3% binge drinking
9th Graders - approximately 14-15 yrs. old
51.1% lifetime use
24.0% past 30-day use
12.2% binge drinking
10th Graders - approximately 15-16 yrs. old
62.5% lifetime use
31.4% past 30-day use
18.5% binge drinking
11th Graders - approximately 16-17 yrs. old
69.3% lifetime use
36.9% past 30-day use
23.4% binge drinking
12 Graders - approximately 17-18 yrs. old
75.1% lifetime use
43.6% past 30-day use
27.2% binge drinking
What Maine parents believe is not what Maine teens say:
65% of Maine teens report that they have had more than a few sips of alcohol in their lives.
However, only 27% of Maine parents believe that their teen has had more than a few sips of alcohol.
35% of teens report they have been drinking in the past 30 days.
However, only 5% of Maine parents believe that their teen has been drinking in the month before the parent survey took place
20% of Maine teens report that they have been binge drinking within two weeks of the survey.
However, only 1% of Maine parents said they thought that their teen had been binge drinking within two weeks of the survey.
78% of Maine parents believe that if their child drank alcohol without permission they would be caught.
However, 42% of Maine teens say they would not be caught by their parents if they drank alcohol without permission.
Full MIYHS results
Maine Parents Survey
We need to find out more, do more to keep our teens from underage drinking.
Sources:
(1) 2009 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (Maine youth gr: 9-12)
(2) 2009 Parent Survey Report (parents of Maine youth in gr: 9-12), Ethos Marketing & Design and Strategic Marketing Services
