Second, this study highlights a trend of an increasingly younger age of initial help-seeking for AUD, with generation X and millennials first seeking help in late adolescence. If this trend continues, it is imperative that we identify ways to increase awareness of help options and reduce barriers for treatment engagement for young adults, such as motivational work, appointment reminders, phone or electronics-based interventions, ecological or problem-solving approaches to interventions, and culturally responsive practices (Kim, Munson, & McKay, 2012). Finally, there is a need to reduce barriers to service use among people who are biologically female under age 30. While this study examined sex differences rather than gender differences, it is important to note that there are documented barriers to service use for women, including fewer economic and social resources, needs for childcare during treatment, and higher levels of co-occurring mental health disorders and trauma issues (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009). Reducing these barriers may increase both help-seeking behavior and treatment utilization for women.
