Contextualizing Change Points in Alcohol Use from Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood

Alcohol is the most widely used and abused substance among America's youths. Understanding patterns of alcohol use over the course of adolescent development, including risk and protective factors related to variation in use, is a central goal of adolescent alcohol research. Authors of this article created a personalized graphic representation of individual drinking, as reported in seven waves of questionnaire data from an ongoing longitudinal study. The graphic served as the basis for a qualitative investigation of 12 young adults' retrospective explanations for increases and decreases in their alcohol consumption during adolescence. A total of 45 changes were assessed: 26 increases and 19 decreases. Three themes for increased alcohol use emerged: (1) adult role modeling, (2) coping with stress or loss, and (3) desiring social inclusion. Five themes for decreased alcohol use emerged: (1) internal motivation, (2) involvement in meaningful activities, (3) prosocial relationships with nonparental adults, (4) increased use of another substance, and (5) becoming a mother. Positive youth development framework was applied to suggest how these findings may be used to inform strategies to reduce underage alcohol use.