Alcohol consumption among teenagers in many high-income countries has steadily declined since the early 2000s. There has also been a steady increase in the average age at first drink, a reliable marker of later alcohol problems.
This study has used National Drug Strategy Household Survey data to measure whether young people who initiated drinking early were at increased risk of alcohol problems in young adulthood in recent cohorts where early initiation was comparatively rare.
Access the full version of the report - The relationship between age at first drink and later risk behaviours during a period of youth drinking decline [PDF]
