The relation of initial alcohol experiences to current alcohol consumption in a college population.

Male and female undergraduate college students were surveyed to examine whether age and circumstances of initial taste and intoxication experiences with alcohol would be predictive of current alcohol usage. Age of initiation, nature of the experience (pleasant vs unpleasant), social setting and type of beverage were examined. Only age of initial experience was found to be minimally predictive of subsequent heavier alcohol use. The negative effects of early experiences with alcohol were predictive for abstinence in both sexes, but did not differentiate between moderate and heavy alcohol users in either.