It is important to study youth abusive drinking patterns because adolescent abusive drinking has been linked to several behavioral and sociological problems. Few studies, however, have examined early adolescent alcohol abuse or have addressed the problem of abusive drinking among rural area youth. A study was conducted to assess the extent to which alcohol-related abusive behavior occurred in a rural, middle school population. Data concerning several alcohol abuse behaviors were collected from 181 middle school students in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during May, 1982. The data suggest that a number of abusive alcohol-related behaviors are present in this population. Alcohol misuse appeared to increase significantly with age and to increase at rates well above national averages. Reported cases of alcohol-induced illness and intoxication increased significantly as grade level increased; no significant differences were found between male and female responses. While the number of respondents expressing guilt after drinking increased significantly with age, females reported significantly higher rates of post-drinking guilt than did males. These findings suggest that there is an extremely high prevalence rate of alcohol misuse among young adolescents in northern Michigan. Health education alcohol use prevention programs should be developed to address these problems, and should be implemented no later than the sixth grade. (NB)