A survey from a team of Ontario researchers suggests even modest amounts of alcohol consumption during someone's high school years can lead to more problematic drinking habits.
Four scholars at the University of Waterloo surveyed more than 19,000 high school students in Ontario and Alberta over two academic years starting in 2013.
They tracked the teens' self-reported drinking and smoking habits and published the results in the journal Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention.
The researchers found that students classified as periodic drinkers had a tendency to progress to regular or heavy drinking within a year, compared to heavier drinkers whose alcohol consumptions patterns were more likely to stay stable.
Researchers found only one per cent of those periodic drinkers were able to scale back their alcohol consumption, compared to higher rates for regular or heavy drinkers.
The researchers say heavier alcohol use is also strongly correlated with increased use of tobacco or cannabis products, adding their collective findings point to a need for more aggressive interventions specifically targeting young teens.