It is also possible that our results may be reflective of secular trends in rates of alcohol use and use disorders such that while telescoping may have at one time existed in the general population it is no longer evident. Several recent studies have demonstrated an increase in the prevalence of both alcohol use and alcohol dependence by birth cohort, with higher rates in younger cohorts compared to older cohorts (Grucza et al., 2008a; Keyes et al., 2008; Keyes et al., 2010; Rice et al., 2003). This increase is most prominent in women and has resulted in a progressive decrease in the odds ratio of dependence between men and women (Grucza et al., 2008a; Keyes et al., 2008). Further, younger cohorts have an earlier age of drinking onset than older cohorts, but the net decrease in age at drinking initiation is twice as large for women (Grucza et al., 2008b). Thus, it is possible that the absence of a telescoping effect may be reflective of the restriction of our analyses to a younger sample (age < 45 years old). However,
