@article{ref1,
title="Early alcohol initiation and increased adult alcohol consumption: Cause or indicator?",
journal="Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie",
year="2013",
author="Geels, L. M. and Vink, J. M. and van Beek, J. H. D. A. and Willemsen, G. and Bartels, M. and Boomsma, Dorret I.",
volume="55",
number="8",
pages="585-597",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Early alcohol initiation is strongly associated with increased alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse/dependence in adulthood. The mechanisms that underlie this association are unclear. AIM: To examine whether there is a causal link between early alcohol initiation and later alcohol consumption. METHOD: Survey data were collected from twin pairs (age range 18-80) included in the Netherlands Twin Register (<span class=&quot;abbreviation&quot;>ntr</span>). A discordant twin design was used to examine the origin of the link between early alcohol initiation and adult alcohol consumption. Within monozygotic pairs (82-143 pairs), twins who started drinking early were compared to their brother/sister who started drinking later, on frequency of alcohol use, weekly alcohol consumption, number of alcohol intoxications, excessive drinking, alcohol abuse/-dependence, and hazardous drinking. By drawing comparisons within monozygotic pairs, we were able to control for the effects of genes/shared environment. Additional analyses examined the effects of age, sex, and in-/exclusion of lifelong abstainers. RESULTS: Within monozygotic twin pairs, the twin who had started drinking early did not differ significantly from his/her brother/sister with respect to future alcohol consumption. Results were independent of age, sex, and in-/exclusion of lifelong abstainers. CONCLUSION: Early alcohol initiation did not have significant causal effects on subsequent alcohol consumption in adulthood and may be an indicator of a predisposition for alcohol consumption. Campaigns aimed at raising the minimum age for alcohol initiation will possibly have only a limited effect on adult alcohol consumption.<p /> <p>Language: nl</p>",
language="nl",
issn="0303-7339",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}