This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (26)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Substance Abuse/ Alcoholism  • Neonatology and Infant Care  • Alert me on articles by topic

Age at Onset, Duration, and Severity

Ralph W. Hingson, ScD, MPH; Timothy Heeren, PhD; Michael R. Winter, MPH

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:739-746.

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.

Author Affiliations: Youth Alcohol Prevention Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Mass.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Characteristics of Youths With Hearing Loss Admitted to Substance Abuse Treatment
Titus et al.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ 2008;13:336-350.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Use and misuse of drugs and alcohol in adolescence
McArdle
BMJ 2008;337:a306-a306.
FULL TEXT  

Reducing harm through quality improvement
Reiss-Brennan et al.
BMJ 2008;336:952-953.
FULL TEXT  

Early Developmental Processes and the Continuity of Risk for Underage Drinking and Problem Drinking
Zucker et al.
Pediatrics 2008;121:S252-S272.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Typologies of alcohol consumption in adolescence: Predictors and adult outcomes
Cable and Sacker
Alcohol Alcohol 2008;43:81-90.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Research Ethics in the MySpace Era
Moreno et al.
Pediatrics 2008;121:157-161.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prevalence of Positive Substance Abuse Screen Results Among Adolescent Primary Care Patients
Knight et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007;161:1035-1041.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Predictors of Initiation of Alcohol Use Among US Adolescents: Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study
Fisher et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007;161:959-966.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Amount of alcohol consumption and risk of developing alcoholism in men and women
Flensborg-Madsen et al.
Alcohol Alcohol 2007;42:442-447.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Risky Alcohol Use, Age at Onset of Drinking, and Adverse Childhood Experiences in Young Men Entering the US Marine Corps
Young et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2006;160:1207-1214.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Age of Alcohol-Dependence Onset: Associations With Severity of Dependence and Seeking Treatment
Hingson et al.
Pediatrics 2006;118:e755-e763.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT