Teenagers who binge drink are 60 percent more likely to become alcoholics by the time they reach age 30 than non-bingers, and also are more likely to use illicit drugs and commit crimes, the BBC reported Sept. 5.

The U.K.'s Institute of Child Health studied 11,000 children, comparing the drinking habits of 16-year-olds in 1986 to a variety of outcomes when they hit age 30. Those classified as binge drinkers in their teens were 40 percent more likely to use illicit drugs or suffer mental-health problems by age 30, 60 percent more likely to be homeless, and 40 percent more likely to have suffered accidents.

"Adolescent binge-drinking is a risk behavior associated with significant later adversity and social exclusion," said lead researcher Russell Viner. Added Frank Soodeen of the group Alcohol Concern, "This study makes worrying reading. It confirms the view that early alcohol misuse can effectively haunt a young person well into adulthood, with all the implications to health and well-being that that can imply."

The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.