Findings indicate that drinking during youth and early adulthood was common in the early 1980's. Nearly half (47.6%) of respondents reported drinking before age 18, and 55.3% reported binge drinking. Drinking behaviors did not differ significantly between rural and urban residents, and rural youth surveyed in 1979-1983 were as likely as their urban counterparts to start drinking before the age of 18, binge drink before 18, and report that work or school was impacted by drinking.