Alcohol is the most frequently used drug among adults and adolescents in the United States. Most research on the problem of alcohol use has focused on urban populations. Yet certain serious alcohol-related problems (motor vehicle deaths, driving under the influence, liquor law violations, and drunkenness) occur more in rural areas than urban areas. Adolescents are not immune to the problems affecting rural communities and recent research indicates adolescent alcohol use appears to be increasing. This study examined potential predictors of alcohol use (current use and future drinking) among rural adolescents. The factors were examined separately for boys and girls. Data for the study were collected from completed questionnaires from 1,673 seventh-grade students in 36 junior high schools in 22 contiguous counties in northeastern Iowa. The sample was 96 percent White and 47 percent female. The majority of the students (85 percent) lived in two-parent households. The students completed self-report questionnaires in school during a 40-45 minute class period. The study measured current alcohol use, future drinking, peer drinking norms, adult drinking norms, drug refusal assertiveness, drug refusal techniques, life skills, pro-drinking attitudes, risk-taking tendency, and perceived family management practices. Analysis of the results revealed that peer drinking norms, drug refusal assertiveness, drug refusal techniques, life-skills, pro-drinking attitudes, and risk-taking tendency were related to drinking measures. In addition, perceived family management skills and drug refusal techniques were associated with drinking for girls but not boys, and risk-taking tendency was related to drinking for boys but not girls. These findings have important implications about which strategies offer promise in alcohol prevention programs for rural adolescents. 3 tables and 53 references