Procurement of alcohol and underage drinking among adolescents in Ontario

Objective: The purpose of this article is to examine the procurement of alcohol among underage drinkers. Method: The data are based on a survey of 3,571 students in Ontario schools. Underage drinkers were those younger than 19 years of age. Data were gathered with an anonymous questionnaire administered in classrooms in 1992. The data include descriptive analysis of underage procurement and a cluster analysis of underage drinker types (n = 1,125: 566 female). Results: Most students found alcohol easy to obtain, with the most common access being from parents' supplies or older friends. Four types of underage drinkers were identified: bar drinkers (5%), frequent purchasers (10%), frequent obtainers (3%) and infrequent obtainers (83%). Conclusions: Frequent self purchasers and infrequent secondary purchasers have the highest levels of consumption and problems. However, most underage drinkers report no problems.