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Some of the first evidence of the importance of the lifespan perspective for understanding alcohol use disorders emerged less than ten years ago in an analysis of data derived from NIAAA’s National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Study (NLAES).  This analysis indicated that persons who begin drinking at younger ages have a significantly increased risk for the development of alcoholism. This finding was replicated in the recent NESARC study, as shown in this slide. These data show that young people who begin drinking before age 15 were four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence during their lifetime than those who begin drinking at age 21.  This is true for individuals from families where a parent had a history of alcoholism (Parental History Positive) and for individuals with no parental history of alcoholism (Parental History Negative).  Therefore, while parental history clearly contributes to the risk for developing alcoholism, likely a reflection of genetic risk factors, early initiation of drinking is also an important predictor of risk for the eventual development of alcoholism.