One theory suggests that early use of alcohol may increase alcoholism risk by altering the course of adolescent development.16 Adolescent alcohol use could alter the course of development by increasing the likelihood that an adolescent is affiliated with deviant peers, thus decreasing the likelihood that an adolescent is affiliated with individuals who reinforce and model prosocial behaviors. A second theory hypothesizes that early use of alcohol may influence biologic development directly, through its effects in the developing adolescent brain.21 Research with rodents22 and humans23 suggests that heavy use of alcohol during adolescence can result in neurocognitive changes that increase the likelihood of subsequent abuse of alcohol in adulthood.
