Youths who begin drinking alcohol early in life are significantly more likely to become dependent on alcohol later -- many before they even reach the legal drinking age -- according to a study of 43,000 U.S. adults. For example, 47 percent of those who began drinking before age 14 later become alcohol-dependent, compared to 9 percent of those who started drinking at age 21 or older.

The survey found that people who began drinking in their early teens were more likely to become dependent on alcohol at some point in their lives; in fact, about half met the criteria for alcohol dependence by the time they hit age 21. Young drinkers were found to be at elevated risk of dependence within 10 years of having their first drink, before age 25, and at any point in their lives. They also were more likely to experience multiple episodes of alcohol dependency.

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"Converging research suggests that youthful drinking is associated with an increased risk of long-term, not just acute, health consequences," said Elias Zerhouni, M.D., director of the U.S. National Institutes on Health.

The study, led by Ralph Hingson, was conducted by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health and its Youth Alcohol Prevention Center. "This analysis suggests that interventions that delay drinking onset may not only reduce the acute consequences of drinking among youth, but may help reduce alcohol dependence among adolescents and adults," said Hingson.

"This work underscores the need for research to clarify how early drinking relates to the risk of lifetime alcohol problems," added Ting-Kai Li, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. "In particular, it is important to learn whether early alcohol use may affect the developing brain in ways that increase vulnerability to dependence."

The study was published in the July 2006 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.