Editorial: Durability of Alcohol Use Prevention Effects in Adolescents and Transitional Age Youth

Nearly 30%, or close to 2 billion, of the world's population are youth 10 to 24 years of age. This number is projected to peak in the next decade.¹ Greater focus on behaviors that are largely initiated and escalate during adolescence, and manifest ensuing morbidity and mortality in adulthood, can reduce long-term public health burden. This is especially true for alcohol use, which is the most commonly abused substance among adolescents,² and 1 of the leading causes of morbidity globally,³ with more than 4,000 alcohol-attributable deaths per year in the United States specifically.⁴ Indeed, in the United States, alcohol use among adolescents is high, with over 60% of 12^th graders reporting lifetime use, nearly 35% reporting use in the past month, and nearly 20% reporting binge drinking in the past 2 weeks.² Furthermore, approximately 5% of 12- to 17-year-olds meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder.⁵ Despite high rates of alcohol use among adolescents and poor psychosocial, neurocognitive, and health outcomes related to use, ⁶ it is estimated that only about 10% of adolescents needing substance use treatment access treatment,⁵ with 75% of those accessing treatment experiencing a relapse.⁷ Although a number of prevention and treatment interventions have demonstrated efficacy in the short term, there are few data on programs and program characteristics that result in durable treatment effects.