Introduction. Strictly speaking, it is not accurate to speak of widespread alcohol use during adolescence, as experimentation is already common even before students enter middle school. However, regular drinking and the first instances of intoxication increase significantly during the "middle school years" and continue to intensify throughout high school. Two surveys ask students about the timing of these first instances of alcohol consumption, which can sometimes indicate a risky situation for some of them. Drawing on representative samples of middle and high school students, these results provide an overall picture of alcohol use from 6th grade through 12th grade. Methods. Two international school surveys conducted regularly in France provide an opportunity to observe the spread of alcohol use during adolescence: the ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) survey, focused on high school students and last conducted in 2011; the HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) survey, which was conducted in 2010 among middle school students. Results. Alcohol is the psychoactive substance first experimented with at the earliest age during adolescence, often within a family setting. Thus, experimentation with alcoholic beverages is reported by 59% of 6th-grade students; its frequency increases during the middle school years, reaching 83% of 9th-grade students and then 93% of 12th-grade students. Beyond the “cultural” aspect that alcohol consumption sometimes takes on, adolescence is above all a period when the first instances of alcohol use—sometimes excessive—may emerge. The proportion of those who report having experienced drunkenness increases significantly, rising from 17% in 8th grade to 69% of 12th graders. Similarly, regular alcohol use (at least 10 times in the month preceding the survey) rises from 3% in 8th grade to 27% in 12th grade. At the same time, the types of alcoholic beverages consumed by adolescents also change as consumption increases. While cider and champagne are the most commonly consumed beverages in early adolescence, beer and hard liquor quickly become high school students’ preferred alcoholic beverages. (R.A.)