In the past few years, it has increased, and will probably continue to increase for a long time. Even though the law sets a minimum age limit, it does not always get put into effect within a teenagers mind. Even though the amount of teenagers drinking have changed since the 70's and 80's, almost 80% of high schoolers have admitted to have thought about drinking. Most teenagers drink way before their legal age, and that is because school laws have changed. In the 1990s, if a teen was caught just once with one drink in their hand, they would be permanently expelled. School policies were much more strict than they were now. But those would result in a teen becoming suicidal for not being able to finish high school.
Reports also show that many alcohol- related crimes have decreased within the past decade.



"Understanding Alcohol Abuse - Issues, Controversies, Independent Analysis." Understanding Alcohol Abuse - Issues, Controversies, Independent Analysis. N.p., Apr. 2005. Web. 19 July 2012. <http://alcoholnews.org/>.