CMU study: Drinking alone while young increases risk for alcoholism later in life
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A new study from Carnegie Mellon University found that drinking alone can foreshadow troubles ahead.
The study looked at the dangers of solitary drinking. Researchers followed about 4,500 adolescents starting at the age of 18 and tracked them for 17 years.
They found the odds of developing alcoholism by the age of 35 were 35 percent higher for adolescents who drank alone and 60 percent higher for young adults compared to those who drank only in social settings.
Kasey Creswell was the study's lead author and said the risk was especially high for adolescent women.
"These young people are drinking because they feel depressed or stressed out or anxious or lonely," Creswell said. "And we think developing that problematic relationship with alcohol puts them at risk for increasing their drinking and developing problems later."
Creswell recommends that parents speak to their teenagers about better coping mechanisms.
The study also found the coronavirus pandemic has fueled the problem. Along with the increases in depression and anxiety, solitary drinking has been on the rise.
