Research on the progression from first alcohol use to the development of alcohol use disorders has shown a sex difference, with women moving faster than men from the initiation of drinking to the onset of first alcohol-related problems, alcohol dependence and treatment entry (Hernandez-Avila et al., 2004; Piazza et al., 1989; Randall et al., 1999; Schuckit et al., 1998). While this “telescoping” effect has been demonstrated in several samples, it seems to be less common in younger age cohorts (Johnson et al., 2005; Randall et al., 1999). However, the majority of studies examining telescoping were conducted in treatment samples, limiting the generalizability of findings. A recent study from a general population sample did not find that women progressed from drinking onset to alcohol dependence faster than men; in fact, it found the opposite, with men demonstrating a faster transition (Keyes et al., 2010).
