Adolescence and young adulthood are periods of particular importance for the development of substance use disorders, as the brain is still in a developing phase and thus prone to alcohol related alterations [19], [20]. In half of the cases, AUDs manifest by the age of 23, with the highest incidence between 18 and 23 years [21], [22]. On the behavioral level, the rate of heavy drinking decreases steeply in most people after young adulthood, but a high risk group maintains this hazardous drinking pattern and develops alcohol use disorders [23]. These results highlight the importance of early drinking patterns for the development of AUDs. In a sample which has not yet reached the age of the peak incidence of AUDs, it is of special interest to investigate drinking patterns prone to or indicative of these disorders.
