The full and shocking impact of binge drinking on a teenager's future life are laid bare in a report published today.

Those who abuse alcohol in their youth are more likely to turn to drugs when they are adults, become alcoholics and acquire a string of convictions. More than that, they are at greater risk of mental health issues and ending up homeless.

Scotland has one of the worst records in Europe for binge drinking among 15 and 16-year-olds, and now a long-term study of more than 11,000 British children has found teenagers who drink heavily suffer a catalogue of problems by the age of 30. Children who were binge-drinkers at the age of 16 are 60% more likely to be alcoholic at 30 and 70% more likely to regularly drink heavily than those who were not.

They are 40% more likely to use illegal drugs, 40% more likely to suffer mental health problems and 60% more likely to be homeless.

They are also 40% more inclined to have suffered accidents, almost four times as likely to have been excluded from school, and 30% more likely to have gained zero qualifications. The study also found that binge-drinkers were almost twice as likely (90% more) to have criminal convictions.

The authors of the report were Dr Russell Viner and Professor Brent Taylor, from the Institute of Child Health in London. They used data from the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study of thousands of babies born in 1970, with follow-ups included at the ages of 16 (in 1986) and 30 (in 2000).

Adolescent binge-drinking was defined as "two or more episodes of consuming four or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks". A total of 18% of the group (20% of boys and 16% of girls) were defined as binge-drinkers at the age of 16.

Meanwhile, frequent regular alcohol intake was defined as drinking on two or more occasions per week in the previous year. Around one in four (26%) boys aged 16 drank this amount, as did 21% of girls.

The study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, compared that data with findings for when the youngsters reached 30. At that age, they were asked about their levels of drinking, illegal drug use, mental health problems, educational achievement, employment and personal history.

The research reveals that teenage binge-drinkers are much more likely to suffer problems. Following adjustment for other factors likely to influence the findings, the results remained largely unchanged.

The authors conclude: "Adolescent binge-drinking is a risk behaviour associated with significant later adversity and social exclusion. These associations appear to be distinct from those associated with habitual frequent alcohol use.

"Binge-drinking may contribute to the development of health and social inequalities during the transition from adolescence to adulthood."

The authors say policies needed to focus on a range of areas, not just restricting the availability of alcohol to teenagers.

"Public health policy for adolescent binge-drinking should be framed within the wider developmental context of adolescent risk behaviour, rather than be restricted to issues related to alcohol use, access and availability," they say.

Frank Soodeen, from Alcohol Concern, called the study "worrying". He said: "There is a significant minority of young people drinking from ever younger ages and in greater quantities than before.

"This study makes worrying reading. It confirms the view that early alcohol misuse can effectively haunt a young person well into adulthood."

Detective Chief Superintendent John Carnochan, head of the Violence Reduction Unit at Strathclyde Police, said: "To have any impact long term, we need to educate people. I'm not talking about abstention, but rather about knowing when enough is enough. This is everyone's responsibility."

Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, said: "The Scottish Government is developing a long-term strategic approach to shifting attitudes and changing behaviour towards alcohol."