Adjusting solely for duration of exposure to risk (Table 2), the odds of developing alcohol dependence were significantly increased for individuals who initiated drinking before age 15 or at ages 15-17 and showed a clear linear trend with AFD. These differences remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, but the OR for AFD at ages 15-17 fell short of significance after controlling for baseline and childhood risk factors. Individuals who started drinking at ages younger than 15 did remain at increased risk of the incidence of alcohol dependence after controlling for all significant risk factors (OR = 1.38, p=.047).
