Identifying and describing trajectories of alcohol use frequency and binge drinking frequency among those age 15-30 in a national cohort of U.S. adolescents: a group-based trajectory modeling approach.

Youth in the United States appear to follow heterogeneous drinking and binge drinking trajectories from adolescence into adulthood. These may include higher-use trajectories as well as trajectories with different escalation timing (e.g., earlier vs. later). Early initiation of drinking may increase risk of membership in higher- and earlier-use trajectory groups.