Harper Coleman

1 Introduction Alcohol use typically begins in adolescence, with the timing of alcohol initiation influencing long-term outcomes. Early initiation of drinking, particularly before ages 13–15, is consistently linked to higher rates of binge drinking, extreme consumption episodes, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in late adolescence and young adulthood (Chung et al. 2018; Dawson et al. 2008; Enstad et al. 2019; Sjodin et al. 2024).

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