What happens if alcoholism starts at a young age?

It is more severe: And often is genetic. Men, in particular, who start drinking early in life typically have underlying psychiatric issues, strong family histories of alcoholism, and may also have antisocial tendencies with early criminal behaviors (delinquency etc.). Cloninger called these people type 1 alcoholics, and babour called it type a. They are also more likely to be polysubstance abusers than late onset.