Even when rates of AUDs start approaching rates seen in adulthood, there are notable differences between adolescent and adult drinking patterns (Clark, 2004; Colby, Lee, Lewis-Esquerre, Esposito-Smythers, & Monti, 2004). Specifically, adolescents tend to drink in much more transient and episodic ways than adults, with fewer physiological symptoms of AUD severity (e.g., withdrawal) despite consuming similar quantities of alcohol per drinking occasion (Deas, Riggs, Langenbucher, Goldman, & Brown, 2000). In addition, most alcohol-consuming adolescents do not progress to sustained AUDs (Clark, 2004; Shedler & Block, 1990). Rather, alcohol use and alcohol-related problems naturally remit for most adolescents (Chassin et al., 2004; Colby et al., 2004)once they subsume more adult roles and responsibilities (e.g., obtaining jobs, developing relationships, building families). However, several factors increase the risk of AUDs in adulthood, including beginning regular or high-risk (binge) drinking at a younger age (Chassin et al., 2004; Colby et al., 2004), drinking larger amounts per occasion (Wells, Horwood, & Fergusson, 2004), and progressively escalating the volume or frequency of alcohol consumption (Chassin et al., 2004; Chassin, Pitts, & Prost, 2002).
