Associations between different aspects of alcohol habits in adolescence, early adulthood, and early middle age: a prospective longitudinal study of a representative cohort of men and women.

Previous research has indicated that the relation between adolescent and adult alcohol habits is not very strong. The objective of the present study was to illustrate associations between different aspects of alcohol habits from adolescence to early middle age in a normal, representative Swedish birth cohort of male (n = 122) and female (n = 90) participants. The sample was prospectively followed by means of self-reports on drinking habits at ages 18, 25, and 36. The results show that heavy drinking at age 18 and frequent intoxication at age 25 substantially increase the risk of heavy consumption at age 36 but that hazardous alcohol habits at either age 18 or 25 alone cannot be considered a substantial risk factor.