Drinking in early teens increases the risk of alcoholism

Children who start drinking alcohol in their early teens are more likely to suffer alcoholism later in life, researchers warned yesterday.

A study in the United States found that adults who had their first drink before 14 faced a greater risk of experiencing alcohol dependence and at an earlier age.

The study raised concerns about the growing numbers of young people experimenting with alcohol.

Many parents believe that allowing teenagers to drink in their presence will encourage responsible drinking in the future. But the researchers from Boston University School of Public Health warned that drinking alcohol at an early age may have effects on the developing brain that may lead to dependence later on.

Alcohol campaigners also urged parents not to allow their children aged under 18 to drink due to the problems it could lead to later in life.

Figures show that 20 per cent of 13-year-olds and 43 per cent of 15-year-olds in Scotland have had at least one alcoholic drink in the past week. It is also estimated that the amount of alcohol consumed by people under the age of 16 has more than doubled in a decade.

The latest research, published in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, questioned 43,000 adults about their use of alcohol and other lifestyle factors. It found that for those who starting drinking before age 14, 47 per cent had suffered alcohol dependence at some point during their lives.

This compared with only 9 per cent who began drinking at age 21 or over - the legal drinking age in the US.

For each extra year before 21 that someone started drinking, the greater their chance of developing alcohol dependence, regardless of other factors such as a family history of alcoholism, smoking and drug use.

Gillian Bell, of the campaign group Alcohol Focus Scotland, said it had had concerns for some time that people starting drinking earlier was fuelling later alcohol problems.

A spokeswoman for Alcoholics Anonymous in Scotland said that in the past four or five years it had seen a growing number of younger people seeking help.

Scotsman