Adults Who Initiate Alcohol Use Before Age 21 More Likely to Abuse or Become Dependent on Alcohol

Center for Substance Abuse Research (College Park, MD) October 18, 2010

"Early onset of alcohol use is associated with a greater likelihood of developing alcohol abuse or dependence at a later age, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Those who first used alcohol at or before the age of 14 were nearly four times more likely to meet the criteria for past year alcohol abuse or dependence than those who started using alcohol between the ages of 18 and 20 and more than six times more likely than those who started using alcohol at or after age 21." Read more.