Change in Alcohol Consumption in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Meta-Analysis

Most young people start to drink alcohol in adolescence and increase their consumption until their early 20s. The present study meta-analyzed results of longitudinal studies across the age range of 10 to 25 years.

A systematic search in the PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and Web of Science databases resulted in 513 studies that were included in multilevel meta-analysis.

On average, alcohol consumption increased by .21 standard deviation units per year, with the strongest increase at age 12 to 13 years. Regarding cumulative change, drinking peaked around 22 years. Drinking started to decline at age 24, with minor changes being observed in 24- and 25-year-olds. Female participants increased their consumption less than their male peers, but gender differences were very small. Weaker increases in drinking were found in countries with higher minimum legal age of buying alcohol. Passing the minimum legal age of 16 years was associated with a stronger immediate increase in drinking compared with countries with higher minimum legal age, whereas passing higher minimum legal ages had no effect on alcohol consumption. In U.S. samples, smaller increases in drinking were observed in more recent studies.

Prevention must start before age 12. Passing a low minimum legal drinking age only seems to have a short-term effect on alcohol consumption.