Early Use of Alcohol, Marijuana Linked to Later Abuse

Statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that adult individuals who began using alcohol at age 14 or younger quadrupled their chance for past year alcohol abuse or dependence when compared to those who initiated alcohol use between the ages of 18 and 20 and were six times more likely than those who waited until the legal drinking age or after.

Similarly, the survey found that using marijuana at age 14 or lower translated into adults who were six times as likely to either abuse or be dependent on illicit drugs than those who initially used marijuana at age 18 or higher. Early marijuana users had double the risk of adult individuals who began using between ages 15 and 17.