Persons reporting they first used alcohol before age 15 are more than five times as likely to report past year alcohol dependence or abuse as adults than persons who first used alcohol at age 21 or older. These are the conclusions of a special analysis of the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, announced October 22 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Substance dependence and abuse are defined in the annual SAMHSA survey of almost 70,000 persons according to definitions of the American Psychiatric Association, and include symptoms such as recurrent use resulting in physical danger; trouble with the law due to alcohol use; increased alcohol tolerance; and giving up or reducing other important activities in favor of alcohol use.

“We know the passage to alcohol abuse and dependence often begins during childhood and adolescence,” SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. “Research has shown that alcohol dependence, while once thought to be an adult-onset disease, is actually developmental in nature. That is why underage drinking prevention programs are a priority at SAMHSA.”

The special report clearly found that among the 14 million adults aged 21 or older who were classified as having past year alcohol dependence or abuse, over 13 million (95 percent) had started using alcohol before the current legal drinking age of 21. Alcohol use and dependence was higher for those who started drinking earlier, and lowest for those who first used at age 21 or older. Sixteen percent of those who began drinking alcohol before age 12 were classified with alcohol abuse or dependence, while the rate was 15.5 percent for those who began between ages 12 and 14. The rate of alcohol dependence or abuse was nine percent for persons who began drinking between ages 15 and 17, and 4.2 percent for those who began drinking alcohol between ages 18 and 20.

The data show that males aged 21 or older were more likely than females to report having first used alcohol before the age of 15. The survey also found that whites had the lowest rate of never having used alcohol (nine percent) compared to African Americans, Asians, or Hispanics, and also the highest rate of initiating alcohol use before age 21 (79 percent), and the highest rate of alcohol use before age 15 (20 percent).

The report is available on the web at www.oas.samhsa.gov. SAMSHA is a public health agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity, and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health service delivery systems. 

From Join Together Online

www.jointogether.org

Join Together is a project of the Boston University School of Public Health