SYDNEY — A long-term study by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Australia has found that teenagers who begin drinking alcohol as early as age 12 face a significantly higher risk of alcohol-related harm in early adulthood.

The study followed more than 900 Australian adolescents over a 10-year period and revealed that the earlier teenagers start drinking — particularly before the legal purchasing age of 18 — the more likely they are to engage in heavy drinking and experience alcohol-related harm in their early adult years.

Teenagers who began drinking at age 12 were more likely to increase their frequency of heavy drinking over time and develop alcohol dependence compared with those who started at 18. Early drinkers were 24 percent more likely to engage in monthly heavy drinking by age 20 — for example, consuming at least four drinks on one occasion — and faced a 73 percent higher risk of alcohol-related harm than those who started drinking at 18.

The study also found that adolescents who started drinking earlier were at greater risk of becoming dependent on alcohol, misusing alcohol, and developing alcohol-related disorders. At the same time, their risk of harm increased regardless of the amount consumed, challenging the assumption that occasional sipping or tasting under parental supervision is harmless.

Amy Peacock, deputy director of the research centre and senior author of the study, said the findings support current guidelines that recommend adolescents avoid early exposure to alcohol. She stressed that the results underscore the need for targeted public health interventions focusing on both children and parents.

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