The younger a child begins to drink alcohol, the greater the chances he or she will develop alcoholism later in life. A survey of over 27,000 American adults found that 41 percent of people who began to drink before age 15 were dependent on alcohol at some point in their adult lives. A quarter of those who began drinking at age 17, and 10 percent of those who started at age 21 were alcohol dependent at some time in their adult lives. What's not clear is if there is a cause and effect relationship between the age of first drinking and chances of becoming an alcoholic. That's yet to be determined.
Most people believe that divorce is bad for children.
It all depends on the family situation before the divorce. If the level of family hostility and discord was high before the divorce, then the children seem to be just as well adjusted and happy as children who grow up in two-parent households. However, if the children aren't aware of the predivorce parental hostility, and the divorce comes as a surprise, then they are more likely to be harmed by the divorce. As these children grow into adulthood, they are more likely to have problems forming relationships and are generally less happy than children who grew up in two-parent families. Children and Heart Disease Children whose parents have heart disease are at an increased risk of developing the same problems when they become adults.