This study investigated the relationship between age of first drink (AFD) and a broad range of negative alcohol-related outcomes among college students exhibiting unhealthy alcohol use. We conducted an anonymous on-line survey to collect self-report data from first-year college students at a large northeastern university. Among 1,792 respondents who reported ever drinking, 14% reported an AFD before age 14. These early onset drinkers were more likely than later onset drinkers to report frequent drinking, heavy drinking, and other unhealthy alcohol use behaviors. Among the subset of drinkers with unhealthy alcohol use (36%), early drinkers were more likely than later onset drinkers to report experiencing five out of 13 alcohol-related consequences, including driving while intoxicated, missing work or school due to drinking, getting into trouble at work or school due to drinking, receiving lower grades than they should have due to drinking, and developing a tolerance to alcohol.
WechslerH, LeeJ E, KuoM, SeibringM, NelsonT F and LeeH. 2002. Trends in college binge drinking during a period of increased prevention efforts: Findings from 4 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study Surveys: 1993–2001. J Am Coll Health, 50(5): 203–17.
2.
SaitzR.2005. Clinical practice. Unhealthy alchol use. New England Journal of Medicine, 352(6) Feb 10: 596–607.
3.
HingsonR, HeerenT, WinterM and WechslerH. 2005. Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among US college students ages 18–24: Changes from 1998 to 2001. Annu Rev Public Health, 26: 259–279.
4.
KnightJ, WechslerH, MeichunK, SeibringM, WeitzmanE and SchuckitM. 2002. Alcohol abuse and dependence among U.S. college students. J Stud Alcohol, 63: 263–270.
5.
US Department of Health and Human Services. January 2000. Healthy People 2010, January, Washington, DC: US Department 1. of Health and Human Services. www.health.gov/healthypeople/
6.
WechslerH, DavenportA, DowdallG, MoeykensB and CastilloS. 1994. Health and behavioral consequences of binge drinking in college: A national survey of students at 140 campuses. JAMA, 272: 1672–1677.
7.
PerkinsH. 2002. Surveying the damage: A review of research on consequences of alcohol misuse in college populations. Journal of Studies inAlcohol, : 91–100.
8.
SamsonH, MaxwellC and DoyleT. 1989. The relation of initial alcohol experiences to current alcohol consumption in a college population. J Stud Alcohol, 50: 254–260.
9.
PedersenW and SkrondalA. 1998. Alcohol consumption debut: Predictors and consequences. J Stud Alcohol, 59: 32–42.
10.
FloryK, LynamD, MilichR, LeukefeldC and ClaytonR. 2004. Early adolescent through young adult alcohol and marijuana use trajectories: Early predictors, young adult outcomes, and predictive utility. Dev Psychopathol, 16: 193–213.
11.
GrantB F, StinsonF S and HarfordT C. 2001. Age at onset of alcohol use and DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: A 12-year follow-up. J Subst Abuse, 13: 493–504.
12.
HingsonR W, HeerenT, JamankaA and HowlandJ. 2000. Age of drinking onset and unintentional injury involvement after drinking. JAMA, 284: 1527–1533.
13.
HingsonR, HeerenT and ZakocsR. 2001. Age of drinking onset and involvement in physical fights after drinking. Pediatrics, 108: 872–877.
14.
LoC C. 2000. Timing of drinking initiation: A trend study predicting drug use among high school seniors. J Drug Issues, 30: 525–554.
15.
HingsonR, HeerenT, WinterM R and WechslerH. 2003. Early age of first drunkenness as a factor in college students’ unplanned and unprotected sex attributable to drinking. Pediatrics, 111: 34–41.
16.
HingsonR, HeerenT, ZakocsR, WinterM and WechslerH. 2003. Age of first intoxication, heavy drinking, driving after drinking and risk of unintentional injury among US college students. J Stud Alcohol, 64: 23–31.
17.
HingsonR, HeerenT and WinterM. 2005. “Age of drinking onset and duration, severity, and number of episodes of alcohol dependence”. In Research Society on AlcoholismSanta Barbara, CA
18.
SaitzR, PalfaiT, FreednerN, WinterM, MacdonaldA, LuJ, OzonoffA, DeJongW and RosenbloomD. 2005. Alcohol screening and brief intervention online for college students. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 29: 109A
19.
SaundersJ B, AaslandO G, BaborT F, de la FuenteJ R and GrantM. 1993. Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption-II. Addiction, 88: 791–804.
20.
ClementsR. 1998. A critical evaluation of several alcohol screening instruments using the CIDI-SAM as a criterion measure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 22: 985–993.
21.
AllenJ P, LittenR Z, FertigJ B and BaborT. 1997. A review of research on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 21: 613–619.
22.
ReinertD F and AllenJ P. 2002. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): A review of recent research. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 26: 272–279.
23.
ChenC H, ChenW J and ChengA TA. 2005. New approach to the validity of the alcohol use disorders identification test: Stratum-specific likelihood ratios analysis. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 29: 602–608.
24.
AertgeertsB, BuntinxF, Bande-KnopsJ, VandermeulenC, RoelantsM, AnsomsS and FeveryJ. 2000. The value of CAGE, CUGE, and AUDIT in screening for alcohol abuse and dependence among college freshmen. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 24: 53–57.
25.
KokotailoP, EganJ, GangnonR, BrownD, MundtM and FlemingM. 2004. Validity of the alcohol use disorders identification test in college students. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 28: 914–920.
26.
HurlburtS and SherK. 1992. Assessing alcohol problems in college students. J Am Coll Health, 45: 134–140.
27.
KahlerC W, StrongD R, ReadJ P, PalfaiT P and WoodM D. 2004. Mapping the continuum of alcohol problems in college students: a Rasch model analysis. Psychol Addict Behav, 18(4): 322–323.
28.
FowlerF. 2002. Survey Research Methods., 3 ed., Applied Social Research Methods Series. Vol. 1Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
29.
DeJongW. 2002. The role of mass media campaigns in reducing high-risk drinking among college students. J Stud Alcohol, : 182–192.
30.
ParraG, O'NeillS and SherK. 2003. Reliability of self-reported age of substance abuse involvement onset. Psychol Addict Behav, 17: 211–218. 18.
