Age at Drinking Onset and Alcohol Dependence: Age at Onset, Duration, and Severity
Abstract
Objective To examine whether starting to drink at an early age is associated with developing alcohol dependence at a younger age and chronic relapsing dependence, controlling for respondent demographics, smoking and illicit drug use, childhood antisocial behavior and depression, and family alcoholism history. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Nationwide face-to-face survey with a multistage probability sample. Participants A total of 43,093 adults were surveyed in 2001-2002. Main outcome measures Based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria, lifetime alcohol dependence, dependence within 10 years of starting drinking, multiple episodes, an alcohol dependence episode in the past year, episodes exceeding 1 year, and meeting 6 or 7 dependence criteria. Results Relative to respondents who began drinking at 21 years or older, those who began drinking before age 14 years were more likely to experience alcohol dependence ever and within 10 years of first drinking (adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals [CIs], 1.78 [1.51-2.11] and 1.69 [1.38-2.07], respectively). They also more often experienced past-year dependence and multiple dependence episodes (adjusted odds ratios, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.40-2.64] and 3.09 [95% CI, 2.19-4.35], respectively). Among alcohol-dependent persons, the odds were 2.62 (95% CI, 1.79-3.84) for having at least 1 episode exceeding 1 year and 2.89 (95% CI, 1.97-4.23) for meeting 6 or 7 dependence diagnostic criteria. Conclusion There is a need to screen and counsel adolescents about alcohol use and to implement policies and programs that delay alcohol consumption.
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Early substance use initiation is positively associated with later substance use problems.
“research has provided evidence for the positive relationship between early substance use initiation and smoking, drinking, and drug using and later substance use problems (Dawson et al., 2008; DeWit et al., 2000; Hingson et al., 2006; Merline et al., 2004).”
From Reading for pleasure in childhood and adolescent healthy behaviours: Longitudinal associations using the Millennium Cohort Study (2020) · cites this paper as Hingson et al., 2006
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- Authors
- Hingson, R. W., Heeren, T., & Winter, M. R.
- Affiliations
- Boston University (US)
- Venue
- Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 2006-07-01
- Volume
- 160
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 739
- ISSN
- 1072-4710 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W101158125
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2017: 1 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (P60AA013759)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Keywords
- alcoholism, adolescent alcohol use
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