Respondents were interviewed at home and entered their answers directly into laptop computers. Findings show that drinking increased with age: 14 percent of 12- to 13-year-olds, 33 percent of 14- to 15-year-olds, and 62 percent of 16- to 17-year-olds had drunk alcohol in the last week. Most 12- to 17-year-olds (84 percent) had drunk an alcoholic beverage at some point in their lives. For most of those aged 12-15, drinking was occasional, i.e., about 1 in 10 reported drinking at least once a week on average. Half of those aged 16-17 drank at least once a week. Beer and lager were the most popular drinks among those under age 18; spirits, wine, and alcopops were also popular. Ethnic minority teens were less likely to drink alcohol. One in 20 nonwhite 12-17-year-olds were frequent drinkers compared with 1 in 4 whites. Those under 18-years-old could not legally buy alcohol themselves, but 63 percent of those aged 16-17 and 10 percent of those aged 12-15 who had drunk an alcoholic beverage in the last year said they usually bought their alcohol themselves, most often in pubs, bars, and nightclubs. Fifteen percent of all 12-17-year-olds had been involved in some form of antisocial behavior during or after drinking, mostly getting into a heated argument. Frequent drinkers were more likely to have behaved antisocially. A higher proportion of offenders aged 12-17 were frequent drinkers (36 percent) than non-offenders (20 percent). The pattern held across the age range; however, it is not possible, based on the survey, to suggest that offending and drinking were causally linked. Most of those under the age of 18 viewed drinking positively, seeing it as a means of socializing with friends (62 percent). More than half said young people liked getting drunk. Increasing self-confidence was also an important benefit of drinking as reported by the youth surveyed. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 4 references