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| Early Teen Drinking Raises Risk of Alcohol Problems
Date:- 01/10/2008 |
It may seem like a minor point, but it matters when someone takes their first drink of alcohol relative to later development of alcohol problems. A new study of the relationship between age at first drink (AFD) and the risk of developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) during adulthood has found that the risk is greatest when that first drink occurs before the age of 15. (Read about "Alcoholism") Results will be published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"Some early drinkers become alcohol dependent while still in their teens, a time when those who have not yet started drinking are not even at risk of becoming dependent," explained Deborah A. Dawson, staff scientist at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and corresponding author for the study. "By looking at adult-onset dependence, we can see for the first time that the association between early AFD and increased AUD risk is not time limited, but rather persists into adulthood."
Researchers analyzed data from 22,316 drinkers 18 years of age and older. They examined associations between three groups of AFD - younger than 15, between 15 and 17, and 18 years of age or older - and first incidence of alcohol dependence, abuse, and specific AUD.
"The key finding of this study was that people who started drinking before age 15, and to a lesser extent those who started drinking at ages 15 to 17, were more likely to become alcohol dependent as adults than people who waited until 18 or older to start drinking," said Dawson.
Note: Statements and conclusions of study authors that are published here are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect this hospital's policy or position. This hospital makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.
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| Reference:-www.thomashospital.com |
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