Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013 Oct;37(10):1804-11. doi: 10.1111/acer.12154. Epub 2013 May 17.
Early alcohol use is one of the strongest predictors of later alcohol use disorders, with early use usually taking place during puberty. Many researchers have suggested drinking during puberty as a potential biological basis of the age at first drink (AFD) effect. However, the influence of the pubertal phase at alcohol use initiation on subsequent drinking in later life has not been examined so far.
Pubertal stage at first drink (PSFD) was determined in N = 283 young adults (131 males, 152 females) from an epidemiological cohort study. At ages 19, 22, and 23 years, drinking behavior (number of drinking days, amount of alcohol consumed, hazardous drinking) was assessed using interview and questionnaire methods. Additionally, an animal study examined the effects of pubertal or adult ethanol (EtOH) exposure on voluntary EtOH consumption in later life in 20 male Wistar rats.
PSFD predicted drinking behavior in humans in early adulthood, indicating that individuals who had their first drink during puberty displayed elevated drinking levels compared to those with postpubertal drinking onset. These findings were corroborated by the animal study, in which rats that received free access to alcohol during the pubertal period were found to consume more alcohol as adults, compared to the control animals that first came into contact with alcohol during adulthood.
The results point to a significant role of stage of pubertal development at first contact with alcohol for the development of later drinking habits. Possible biological mechanisms and implications for prevention are discussed.
早期饮酒是日后出现酒精使用障碍的最强预测因素之一，而早期饮酒通常发生在青春期。许多研究人员认为，青春期饮酒可能是首次饮酒年龄（AFD）效应的潜在生物学基础。然而，目前尚未研究青春期开始饮酒对以后成年期饮酒的影响。
在一项来自于流行病学队列研究的 283 名年轻人（男性 131 名，女性 152 名）中，确定了首次饮酒时的青春期阶段（PSFD）。在 19、22 和 23 岁时，使用访谈和问卷调查方法评估饮酒行为（饮酒天数、饮酒量、危险饮酒）。此外，一项动物研究还考察了青春期或成年期乙醇（EtOH）暴露对 20 只雄性 Wistar 大鼠以后生活中自愿饮用 EtOH 的影响。
PSFD 预测了年轻人的饮酒行为，表明青春期首次饮酒的个体与青春期后开始饮酒的个体相比，饮酒水平更高。动物研究也证实了这一发现，即青春期期间可自由接触酒精的大鼠成年后饮酒量高于首次接触酒精的对照组动物。
研究结果表明，首次接触酒精时青春期的发育阶段对以后饮酒习惯的形成有重要作用。讨论了可能的生物学机制和预防措施的意义。
