The health burden associated with alcohol use stretches across the lifespan, beginning in utero, with prenatal alcohol exposure resulting in a variety of adverse birth effects, including fetal alcohol syndrome as the most severe consequence (Warren et al. 2011). Over the life course, alcohol use contributes to a variety of health conditions and risk behaviors. Among adolescents, heavy alcohol use is correlated with other risky health behaviors, including tobacco use, violence, suicide, and driving under the influence (Windle 2003). In the NESARC Wave 1 sample, young adults ages 20–29 were most likely to engage in risk behavior after drinking (age 20–24 versus 50 or older, OR = 6.5; age 25–29 versus 50 or older, OR = 4.2) compared with older adults (age 50 or older). The oldest age group (age 50 or older) in the sample was the least likely to drive under the influence of alcohol (Hingson and Zha 2009). Overall, the proportion of alcohol-related deaths was highest among young adults ages 18–24 and decreased with age (Rehm et al. 2014).
