Findings indicated that wine/wine coolers were the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverages, had the highest lifetime use rate, and had the greatest quantity of use among eighth grade students, followed by beer and liquor. Minor gender differences emerged that indicated females were less likely than males to have ever consumed malt liquor. Ethnic differences were more pronounced and suggested that Whites were more likely to have consumed wine/wine coolers and liquor than Blacks, but Blacks were more likely to have consumed malt liquor. The most important risk and protective factors for alcohol consumption were intention to smoke and attitudes toward drinking. The findings have important implications for prevention strategies, including the need to tailor prevention content to gender and ethnicity. Participants were 454 8th grade students from inner-city, suburban, and rural middle schools in northeast Florida who completed the Youth Alcohol & Health Survey during school hours. Data analysis techniques included stepwise discriminant calculations and confirmatory logistic regression analyses. Future research should consider employing a longitudinal analysis to explore patterns of alcohol consumption over time. Tables, references