However, the New York Times reported Feb. 27 that an initial estimate that adolescents consumed 25 percent of all alcohol sold in the U.S. was later acknowledged to be off-base.

"Underage drinking has reached epidemic proportions in America," said Joseph Califano Jr., president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, which issued the report.

The report said that 81 percent of high-school students have consumed alcohol, compared with 70 percent who have smoked cigarettes, and 47 percent who have used marijuana.

In addition, the research shows that most teens who experiment with alcohol continue using it. Among high-school seniors who had ever tried alcohol, 91.3 percent still were drinking in the 12th grade.

The study also found that 31 percent of high-school students said that they binge drink at least once a month.

"Alcohol is far and away the top drug of abuse for American kids," said Susan Foster, CASA's vice president and director of policy research and analysis. "The college binge-drinking problem starts with children and teens, and that's where our prevention and education efforts must be focused."

The study was based on data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was published in 2000, and the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, an alcohol-industry trade group, disputed the report's conclusions. "Under its flawed interpretation, each American teenager and young adult who illegally drinks alcohol would have to consume 120 drinks per month," to make up the 25 percent consumption figure, said spokesman Frank Coleman.

Queried by media organizations, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration -- which issues the Household Survey -- agreed that the figure for teen alcohol consumption is closer to 11 percent. CASA admitted that a statistical error caused the report to overestimate the amount of alcohol consumed by teens. "It's very unfortunate," Foster told the Times. "We didn't reweight the data. But we think the 11.4 percent number is way too low, since there's so much underreporting."

Califano said the study's findings are a "clarion call for national mobilization to curb underage drinking." The center recommended that parents discuss the consequences of underage drinking with children.

In addition, the center called on policymakers to enhance enforcement of underage drinking laws, to finance additional treatment programs for adolescents, and for the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy's anti-drug media campaign to include messages about drinking.

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