A study funded by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published in Pediatrics shows that individuals who become alcohol-dependent at younger ages experience stronger symptoms of dependency.
Researchers interviewed more than 4500 people who had been alcohol dependent at some point in their lives. Those who had become dependent before age 25 showed stronger symptoms of dependency and were more likely to have multiple drinking episodes and episodes lasting a year or longer. They were also less likely to seek treatment than people who became dependent after age 30.
ABSTRACT: Age of Alcohol-Dependence Onset: Associations With Severity of Dependence and Seeking Treatment