The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center has some great facts on youth alcohol abuse.  The following is from their site:

“Substance use has fluctuated nationally since the mid-70s when the government and other independent sources began collecting data on this behavior. Over the past 5-10 years, the level of substance use has remained relatively stable; however, research indicates changes in the types of drugs used. Each year, a number of national surveys are conducted to determine the prevalence of substance use in this country, the number of new users (or incidence of the behavior), and the attitudes of users and non-users.”

To read the rest of the fact sheet go to: http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/facts/substance.asp