The Significance of Age of Onset of Excessive Drinking in Male Alcoholics

In an earlier investigation, Hassall and Foulds (1968) demonstrated certain differences between a group of alcoholics of 30 years and under and a matched control group. Such a group is not, of course, representative even of those alcoholics who come to psychiatric treatment. The present investigation was concerned to assess a wider range of such alcoholics, and try to determine whether any differences which might be found within this group could be attributed to chronological age, to age of onset of excessive drinking, or to length of time during which excessive drinking had been taking place.