In accord with previous reports, men tended to have their first drink at an earlier age than women (Johnston et al., 1996). Greater levels of impulsivity and sensation seeking among men (Petry et al., 2002) and social norms (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004) may influence men to continue to drink at earlier ages. Furthermore, although there were no gender differences in the percentage of individuals that remitted from AD, women remitted at slightly younger ages than men. Women may remit earlier because heavy alcohol use might prompt them to seek treatment for the psychosocial consequences of their heavy use, such as marital problems or emotional problems (Duckert, 1987). Our data also suggest that women exhibit less severe forms of AD than men, which may also facilitate remission.
