Age at first alcohol use: a risk factor for the development of alcohol disorders
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the natural course of DSM-III-R alcohol disorders as a function of age at first alcohol use and to investigate the influence of early use as a risk factor for progression to the development of alcohol disorders, exclusive of the effect of confounding influences. METHOD: Data were obtained from a community sample (N=5,856) of lifetime drinkers participating in the 1990-1991 Mental Health Supplement of the Ontario Health Survey. RESULTS: Survival analyses revealed a rapid progression to alcohol-related harm among those who reported having their first drink at ages 11-14. After 10 years, 13.5% of the subjects who began to drink at ages 11 and 12 met the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse, and 15.9% had a diagnosis of dependence. Rates for subjects who began to drink at ages 13 and 14 were 13.7% and 9.0%, respectively. In contrast, rates for those who started drinking at ages 19 and older were 2.0% and 1.0%. Unexpectedly, a delay in progression to harm was observed for the youngest drinkers (ages 10 and under). Hazard regression analyses revealed a nonlinear effect of age at first alcohol use, marked by an elevated risk of developing disorders among subjects first using alcohol at ages 11-14. CONCLUSIONS: First use of alcohol at ages 11-14 greatly heightens the risk of progression to the development of alcohol disorders and therefore is a reasonable target for intervention strategies that seek to delay first use as a means of averting problems later in life.
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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 DeWit et al., 2000
Substance use at a young age may entail a substantial disease burden and significant social and economic costs.
“It is well established that substance use at a young age is associated with an elevated risk of substance use disorders later in life, mental health problems, which may entail a substantial disease burden, followed by significant social and economic costs”
From School-based programmes to reduce and prevent substance use in different age groups: What works for whom? Systematic review and meta-regression analysis (2016) · cites this paper as DeWit, Adlaf, Offord, & Ogborne, 2000
Substance use at a young age is associated with an elevated risk of substance use disorders later in life.
“It is well established that substance use at a young age is associated with an elevated risk of substance use disorders later in life, mental health problems, which may entail a substantial disease burden, followed by significant social and economic costs”
From School-based programmes to reduce and prevent substance use in different age groups: What works for whom? Systematic review and meta-regression analysis (2016) · cites this paper as DeWit, Adlaf, Offord, & Ogborne, 2000
Substance use at a young age is associated with mental health problems.
“It is well established that substance use at a young age is associated with an elevated risk of substance use disorders later in life, mental health problems, which may entail a substantial disease burden, followed by significant social and economic costs”
From School-based programmes to reduce and prevent substance use in different age groups: What works for whom? Systematic review and meta-regression analysis (2016) · cites this paper as DeWit, Adlaf, Offord, & Ogborne, 2000
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- Authors
- DeWit, D. J., Adlaf, E. M., Offord, D. R., & Ogborne, A. C.
- Affiliations
- Western University (CA)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2000-05-01
- Volume
- 157
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 745-750
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2116806046
- Cited by
- 1,187
- References
- 21
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 67 · 2017: 75 · 2016: 73 · 2015: 68 · 2014: 69 · 2013: 76 · 2012: 68
- FWCI
- 10.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Keywords
- alcoholism, alcohol abuse, early-onset drinking, adolescent alcohol use, risk factors, nonlinear dose-response relationship
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Child, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Ontario, Preventive Health Services, Regression Analysis, Risk Factors, Sampling Studies, Proportional Hazards Models, Odds Ratio, Survival Analysis, Alcohol-Related Disorders
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