Despite the challenges involved in interpreting the detail of study findings, the sparse data available carry implications for policy makers. There is no strong evidence for delaying AFD as a means of preventing future adult alcohol problems. However, because alcohol is an important cause of car crashes, violence and suicide, the leading causes of death among adolescents and young people globally,35 there remains a clear rationale for interventions seeking to help young people avoid or better manage alcohol consumption, regardless of whether earlier AFD is a causal component in the aetiology of adult alcohol problems. Decision making in relation to prevention should thus be based on the acute and short-term harms associated with drinking among children and adolescents rather than on uncertain long-term harms.
