The telescoping of drinking among those with later onset in particular was a striking finding. If there is a common factor underlying early use of alcohol and manifestations of alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence, it does not account for rapid progression to heavier drinking, at least among substance-involved youth in treatment. Yet, consistent with the age of onset literature, early onsetting youth were more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence (see Table 1). This is also consistent with Sartor et al. [37] who found that high-risk youth with early onset were more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence (17%) than those with later onset (7%) yet showed slower progression (5.9 years versus 1.4 years, respectively). It also replicates Hussong et al. [30], who observed that high-risk youth with later drinking onset had lower risk for developing an alcohol use disorder but showed accelerated progression. These different findings for likelihood of progressing and rate of progression imply the existence of distinct processes underlying drinking transitions within a person [35].
