Weaknesses in executive functioning predict the initiating of adolescents’ alcohol use

• Working memory functioning predicts the initiating of (binge) drinking in adolescents.
• Response inhibition predicts the initiating of drinking, but not binge drinking in adolescents.
• Weakness in executive functioning precedes drinking behavior of adolescents.

Recently, it has been suggested that impairments in executive functioning might be risk factors for the onset of alcohol use rather than a result of heavy alcohol use. In the present study, we examined whether two aspects of executive functioning, working memory and response inhibition, predicted the first alcoholic drink and first binge drinking episode in young adolescents using discrete survival analyses. Adolescents were selected from several Dutch secondary schools including both mainstream and special education (externalizing behavioral problems). Participants were 534 adolescents between 12 and 14 years at baseline. Executive functioning and alcohol use were assessed four times over a period of two years. Working memory uniquely predicted the onset of first drink (p = .01) and first binge drinking episode (p = .04) while response inhibition only uniquely predicted the initiating of the first drink (p = .01). These results suggest that the association of executive functioning and alcohol consumption found in former studies cannot simply be interpreted as an effect of alcohol consumption, as weaknesses in executive functioning, found in alcohol naïve adolescents, predict the initiating of (binge) drinking. Though, prolonged and heavy alcohol use might further weaken already existing deficiencies.