This study found that individuals who started drinking before 15 years of age were significantly more likely to experience the incidence of alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse in adulthood than those who delayed initiation of drinking until 18 or older. Among individuals who started drinking at ages 15-17, there was an increased adult incidence of alcohol abuse for both men and women and an increased incidence of dependence that was limited to women. These results demonstrate that the association between early AFD and increased risks of lifetime AUD cannot be solely attributed to adolescent-onset disorders — disorders that may reflect unique, age-specific vulnerabilities related to level of maturation and drinking patterns and context and for which individuals with later AFD are not at risk.
