It appears from the literature that some Native American tribes may experience an earlier age of onset of alcohol dependence than what has been reported for other non-Native samples of alcoholics (Ehlers et al., 2004a). One factor that could theoretically lead to an earlier onset of alcohol dependence in Native Americans is an earlier age of initiation of drinking. In some tribes of American Indians early age of onset of first intoxication was found to be significantly associated with both a shorter time to the onset of alcohol dependence as well as increased probability of developing the disorder in that population (Ehlers et al., 2006). It has been suggested that drinking alcohol at a young age acts as an environmental factor that disrupts the normal course of social and intellectual development leading to an increased risk for social and psychological pathologies including drug addictions (DeWit et al., 2000; York, 1999). An alternate hypothesis has been forwarded suggesting that drug addictions and psychopathology are in fact a reflection of a more general underlying susceptibility to disinhibitory behavior and/or behavioral under-control that
