Alcohol is very addictive. About 18 million adults are addicted to alcohol. This means they need to drink alcohol in order to function normally, and their drinking causes problems in their lives.
Alcohol addiction can begin at any time. But drinking when you're a teenager raises your risk. Teens who start drinking alcohol before age 15 are five times likelier to develop a later addiction to alcohol than those who begin drinking at age 21 or older.