Substantial evidence supports the association of early age at drinking onset with negative alcohol-related outcomes. Based on data from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES), Grant and Dawson (1997) established that individuals who reported an early age of drinking onset were much more likely to meet criteria for lifetime alcohol abuse and dependence. In the NLAES, more than 40% of individuals who initiated drinking at or before age 14 had alcohol dependence, compared with fewer than 17% of individuals who began drinking at age 18 or older. The association between early drinking onset and elevated rates of negative alcohol outcomes was subsequently replicated in a number of cross-sectional (Prescott and Kendler, 1999; Reboussin et al., 2006; York et al., 2004) and prospective studies (e.g., Buchmann et al., 2009; Pedersen and Skrondal, 1998; Pitkänen et al., 2005). Findings from experimental animal studies also support the relation of early drinking onset with increased drinking behaviors in adulthood (Maldonado-Devincci et al., 2010; Yoshimoto et al., 2002), suggesting that early alcohol exposure may trigger biological changes that subsequently increase one’s susceptibility to problematic drinking.
