Not only can
symptoms be distressing, AUD can trigger a cascade
of lifelong adverse outcomes, such as: other mental disorders, suicide, serious unintentional injury, illicit drug use, antisocial behaviour, as well as
early onset
of heart disease,
stroke and cancer.3 While the peak age for the onset for AUD is 18 — 24 years, the factors that predict the transition from alcohol use to AUD
symptom onset and from
symptom onset to diagnosable AUD remain largely unknown.