Prevalence of alcohol use, abuse and dependence in adolescents and young adults

Alcohol use frequently begins in adolescence. However, only few studies have reported the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in adolescents. This paper reports results from a representative study in a sample of 3021 adolescents, aged 14-24 years. The Prevalence of alcohol abuse and dependence according to DSM-TV criteria, as well as the prevalence, frequency and quantity of alcohol use and a description of the first occurring symptoms, are presented here. Alcohol abuse was reported by 9.7 % of respondents and alcohol dependence by 6.2 %. Males were more likely to report an alcohol disorder than females, and the prevalence also increased in the older age cohorts. The most frequent initial symptoms were ''hazardous use'' (91.9 %) for abuse and ''tolerance'' (34.3 %) for dependence. First symptoms have been shown to occur long before the age of 18. These results show that even in adolescents and young adults alcohol abuse and dependence are frequent disorders.