Data indicate that by the time children reach the age of 13, approximately 30 percent of the boys and 22 percent of the girls are drinkers. Through adolescence, increasing proportions become drinkers until by age 18, 92 percent of the boys and 73 percent of the girls are drinkers. Adolescents from blue-collar families are somewhat less likely to be drinkers than are those from white-collar families. Generally, the likelihood of heavier drinking among adolescents is inversely related to their parents' educational level. Catholics and whites are least likely to be nondrinkers, and adolescents from the Northeast are more likely to be drinkers than those from other regions. Drunkenness among adolescents is still a comparatively rare occurrence. When compared with earlier similar surveys, the present study indicates that alcohol consumption among adolescents is not on the increase and shows relative stability in alcoholic beverage consumption levels over the last 5 years. 5 tables, 9 references.