Does underage drinking help children learn how to responsibly use alcohol?
Rather than helping teens cope with alcohol use later in life, early drinking may actually add to the danger. Adolescents who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Research has shown that 40 percent of kids who begin drinking before age 15 will develop alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. That proportion drops to below 10 percent for those who begin drinking after age 21.
