In Orange County, many kids, even middle schoolers, say it’s easy or very easy to get alcohol.
Briana J, age 17, states, “Underage drinking is everywhere — it’s easy to get and even middle schoolers have access. At school, you can tell when someone’s been drinking by how they act or smell, and sometimes staff just ignore it. It’s become so normal that no one really takes it seriously anymore. Even just hanging out with friends often involves alcohol, and it’s rare to have a get-together without it. It’s sad to see how common it is, especially with younger kids.”
A survey of students from the Capistrano Unified School District showed that 27% of seventh-graders, 49% of ninth-graders and 64% of 12th-graders surveyed said alcohol was easy or very easy to get (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2023–2024)…