A new study published in the July issue of the journal 'Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine' says that people who start to drink before the age of 14 are more likely to develop alcohol dependency and other drinking-related problems later in life. In fact, the study found that early drinkers tend to have alcohol problems throughout their lives.
'It's not to say that people don't get over this, but...they're at greater lifelong risk, particularly if they develop dependence so rapidly that they have it this early in life,' the study's lead author, Dr. Ralph W. Hingson of Boston University School of Public Health, told Reuters.
Hingson and his team reviewed data from 43,093 adults who took part in a 2001-2002 survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The study found that 47 percent of those who started drinking before age 14 met the criteria for alcohol dependency within 10 years as compared to just four percent of those who started drinking at the legal age limit of 21.
The study took into account other factors that often account for early drinking such as antisocial behavior during childhood, a family history of alcoholism, depression and education level.
Even after taking these factors into account, those who drank before age 14 were 2.6 times more likely to suffer through episodes of alcohol dependence lasting longer than year and nearly three times as likely to have six to seven symptoms of alcohol dependence versus just three to five symptoms.
Hingson said his study underscores the importance of parents staying on top of their children’s' drinking habits. 'We think it's very important that adolescents routinely be asked about their drinking practices by their health care providers,' Hingson told Reuters. 'There are interventions that we know can make a difference.'
