According to an analysis of SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 12 percent of people in treatment first got drunk when they were younger than age 12, 25 percent got intoxicated for the first time between the ages of 12 and 14, 35 percent began drinking heavily between ages 15 and 17, and 16 percent first got drunk between the ages of 18 and 20.

Overall, 88 percent of people in treatment first got drunk before their 21st birthday. "While we know that the majority of youth do not drink, research tells us that people who start drinking at early ages are more likely to have problems with alcohol as adults," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie.

Treatment patients who used alcohol prior to age 12 were more likely to have had five or more treatment episodes, and those who first drank before age 15 were more likely to enter treatment with alcohol and other drug problems.

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