Abstract

The literature exhibits a gap concerning factors that may foster or inhibit onset drinking among adults. This study examined risk and protective factors involved when adult lifetime nondrinkers became drinkers or heavy drinkers. The sample included 548 lifetime nondrinkers ages 18–28; it was extracted from 2 waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, or Add Health. Results showed that likelihood of change from nondrinking (Wave 3) to drinking (Wave 4) rose with unsafe neighborhood (RRR = 3.27, p < .05), high occupational skill (RRR = 1.16, p < .05), number of close friends (RRR = 1.23, p < .05), seizures (RRR = 17.07, p < .05), ADHD (RRR = 2.53, p < .05), drug use (RRR = 2.44, p < .05), and attending counseling services (RRR = 2.96, p < .05); but fell with age (RRR = .86, p < .05) and active religiosity (RRR = .73, p < .01). The likelihood of change from nondrinking (Wave 3) to heavy drinking (Wave 4) was associated positively with being male (RRR = 3.56, p < .01), being married (RRR = 3.17, p < .05), depression (RRR = 2.49, p < .05), seizures (RRR = 35.08, p < .05), and drug use (RRR = 3.42, p < .01); and was associated negatively with strong commitment to partners (RRR = .72, p < .05) and religiosity (RRR = .41, p < .01). The results imply that religiosity and rejuvenating poor neighborhoods will curb adult-onset drinking, and that treating heavy drinking will focus on co-occurring mental disorder and drug use.