The earlier drinking begins in adolescence, the higher the risk of heavy drinking and alcohol-related harms in early adulthood. New research led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at UNSW Sydney found that those who began drinking as early as age 12 were more likely to report heavy episodic drinking and alcohol abuse than those who started drinking at age 18. The long-term study, published today in Addiction, followed the alcohol use of more than 900 Australian adolescents annually for 10 years.