MedPage Today (8/16, Petrochko) reports, “Students who started drinking and getting drunk at an early age were more likely to engage in frequent heavy drinking and associated problems by senior year of college,” according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. “A longitudinal analysis of incoming college freshmen showed a significant association not only between younger drinking age and heavy drinking, but also with difficulties in work and school, blackouts, vomiting, and other problems by senior year (P<0.001 for all)," researchers reported. "Those who started drinking and getting drunk at a later age were at a lower risk for heavy drinking and problems overall, but had significantly steeper increases in heavy drinking and associated problems over time (P<0.001 for both)," the study of 1,160 incoming university freshmen found. Related Links:
— “Young Drinking Tied to Drinking Problems Later, “Cole Petrochko, MedPage Today, August 15, 2012.