Experimentation with alcohol use during adolescence becomes normative in many cultures, with a majority of adolescents in the United States reporting that they have tried alcohol by about 14 years of age (e.g., Johnston et al., 2008). When adolescents use alcohol, they tend to drink substantial amounts, with 10% of 8th graders, 22% of 10th graders, and 26% of 12th graders in the United States reporting consumption of five or more drinks in a row within the past two weeks (Johnston et al., 2008) and adolescents in some European countries reporting binge-drinking rates that are even two to three times higher (Ahlström & Österberg, 2004). On average, adolescents drink more than twice as much per drinking episode as do adults (SAMHSA survey data, 2006).
