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Background: A low level of response (LR) to alcohol has been shown to relate to a higher risk for alcohol use disorders (AUDs). However, no previous research has examined the association between LR and the development of AUDs in the context of additional robust risk factors for AUDs. This study evaluated whether LR and other related characteristics predicted the occurrence of AUDs across adulthood using discrete-time survival analysis (DTSA)., Methods: A total of 297 probands from the San Diego Prospective Study reported on the LR to alcohol, a family history (FH) of AUDs, the typical drinking quantity, the age of drinking onset, the body mass index and the age at the baseline (T1) assessment. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) were evaluated at the 10-year (T10), T15, T20, and T25 follow-ups., Results: A low LR to alcohol predicted AUD occurrence over the course of adulthood even after controlling for the effects of other robust risk factors. Interaction effects revealed that the impact of FH on AUDs was only observed for subjects with high T1 drinking levels, and probands with high T1 drinking were at high risk for AUDs regardless of their age of onset., Conclusions: The findings illustrate that LR is a unique risk factor for AUDs across adulthood, and not simply a reflection of a broader range of risk factors. The continued investigation of how LR is related to AUD onset later in life will help inform treatment providers about this high-risk population, and future longitudinal evaluations will utilize DTSA to assess rates of AUD remission as well as the onset of drinking outcomes in adolescent samples.

Objective: To identify predictors of error in estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) in a sample of bar patrons., Method: Six hundred sixty-six patrons (43.6% female) were randomly sampled from 32 bars. Patrons were asked to provide a breath sample into a handheld breath alcohol concentration test unit upon entrance and exit from the bar. Patrons also completed a brief survey at entrance and exit. For analyses, this sample was stratified by whether patrons consumed alcohol before attending the bar. Estimates of BAC were calculated using Matthews and Miller's formula (1979). A three-category dependent variable was created based on the estimation accuracy of eBAC relative to breath alcohol concentration: accurate (within .02), underestimate of BAC, and overestimate of BAC., Results: Of those that drank before arriving at the bar, 29% of eBACs were accurate, 32.3% were underestimates, and 38.8% were overestimates. For those who drank only at the bar, 42.0% were accurate, 20.8% were underestimates, and 37.7% were overestimates. Among those who drank before attending the bar, the number of drinks consumed before attending the bar was significantly related to eBAC underestimate. Among those who drank only at the bar, predictors of overestimate included being female, drinking more, and drinking longer., Conclusions: The accuracy of eBAC is poor at best. In an earlier study of parties, eBACs were often underestimated; in the bar setting, eBACs were often overestimated. More research is needed to understand the role of setting on eBAC calculations.

This paper presents data from a study that collected observational data, survey data, and breath samples to estimate blood alcohol concentrations (BrAC) from patrons attending 30 bars. The study examines: (1) drinking behavior and settings prior to going to a bar; (2) characteristics of the bar where respondents are drinking; (3) person and environmental predictors of BrAC change (entrance to exit). Purposive sampling of bars that cater to young adults gave a sample of 30 bars. Patrons were randomly selected from bars (n=839). Approximately half of the sample was female (48.7%). Nearly three-quarters of participants reported drinking before attending the bar. Serving practices of the bars were observed; majority of bars served excessive amounts of alcohol in short periods of time. On average, those who drank before attending the bar had BrACs at approximately half the legal limit. Implications for responsible beverage service coupled with law enforcement strategies are discussed.

Aims: A low level of response (LR), or low sensitivity, to alcohol as established by alcohol challenges has been shown to predict future heavier drinking, alcohol-related problems and alcohol use disorders. To date, only one study has evaluated the predictive validity of a second measure of LR as determined by the Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) Questionnaire. The current analyses evaluate the ability of SRE scores as determined at age 12 to predict heavier drinking and alcohol-related problems 2 years later in a sample from the United Kingdom., Methods: The subjects were 156 boys (54.5%) and girls from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) who had reported consuming one or more standard drinks by age 12 and who were followed up 2 years later., Results: The age 12 SRE scores correlated with the number of drinks per week, maximum drinks and the number of alcohol problems both at baseline and at age 14 follow-ups. In these evaluations, a larger number of drinks required for effects on the SRE (i.e. a lower LR per drink consumed) related to heavier intake and alcohol-related difficulties. Simultaneous entry multiple regression analyses revealed that the age 12 SRE score maintained a significant relationship with age 14 higher number of drinks per week and the number of alcohol problems even when the age 12 values for alcohol intake and problems were used as covariates., Conclusion: The SRE scores appear to have value in predicting future heavier drinking and alcohol problems in 12-year olds that go beyond the information offered by the earlier drinking pattern alone.

Objective: There is conflicting evidence regarding the impact of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on adolescent alcohol use. The current study tested whether the prospective effects of neighborhood SES on adolescent alcohol outcomes varied across parental alcoholism subgroups., Method: Data from a group of adolescents (N=361) from an ongoing longitudinal study of children of alcoholics (COAs) and matched controls were collected at three initial annual assessments. Latent growth models were estimated with a range of related time-invariant and time-varying predictors., Results: Among non-COAs, higher neighborhood SES predicted increased rates in alcohol use and consequences, whereas among COAs, lower neighborhood SES was predictive of increased rates in alcohol use and marginally predicted rates of consequences. There were also time-specific effects of family mobility on alcohol outcomes., Conclusions: The current study provides evidence for differential effects of neighborhood SES on adolescent alcohol use and consequences for non-COAs and COAs. The group differences found in this study may help explain the equivocal findings from previous neighborhood studies, which may use samples with an unmeasured mix of high- and low-risk adolescents. Future research should identify pathways to alcohol use and problems for high- and low-risk adolescents living in neighborhoods that span the range of the socioeconomic spectrum.

Background: The manner in which a low level of response (LR) to alcohol relates to domains that enhance the risk for heavy drinking has traditionally been studied through cross-sectional models. However, many of the relevant domains, such as the maximum number of drinks consumed in 24 hours (MAXDRINK) and drinking among peers (PEER) typically decrease across adulthood. This study evaluated whether a person's LR to alcohol predicted alcohol-related domains at multiple time-points and examined longitudinal relations among these domains in a sample of probands from the San Diego Prospective Study., Methods: LR to alcohol was assessed in 174 male probands from the San Diego Prospective Study at baseline (T1), and measures of MAXDRINK, PEER, and drinking to cope (COPE) were collected at the 15-year (T15), T20, and T25 follow-ups., Results: A low LR to alcohol at T1 predicted higher levels of MAXDRINK and COPE at T15, consistent with prior studies. Using latent growth curve models, higher levels of T15 MAXDRINK predicted less decreases in PEER drinking over time. Additional analyses found a time-specific effect of T20 COPE on T25 MAXDRINK even after accounting for the growth factors of both domains., Conclusion: These evaluations illustrate that LR prospectively predicted relevant outcomes, and clarify how alcohol-related domains related to each other as the probands progressed through middle adulthood. Treatment implications are discussed and drinking to cope may be an important intervention target for problematic alcohol use.

The present study examined the role of adolescent substance use and its antecedent behavioral and familial risk factors in the prediction of young adult internalizing symptoms 10 years later, using a community sample of children of alcoholics (n = 194) and demographically matched controls (n = 209). Using growth curve modeling, the authors found that initial levels of adolescent alcohol and drug use (mu-sub(age) = 13) and growth in drug use during adolescence predicted higher levels of internalizing symptoms in young adulthood, even after including in the models shared risk factors for both internalizing symptoms and adolescent substance use. These effects remained significant after including concurrent substance use in adulthood, suggesting that adolescent substance use exerts a long-term impact on young adult internalizing symptoms over and above the effects of persistent substance use over time. The present investigation further revealed that initial levels of alcohol and drug use in adolescence mediate the relation between parental alcoholism and young adult internalizing symptoms. Findings provide evidence for the long-term effects of adolescent substance use on young adult functioning and can help inform both etiological and prevention research., ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.)

Aims: We tested the effects of adolescent substance use on college attendance and completion by young adulthood in the context of the behavioral and familial risk factors that influence substance use., Design, Setting and Participants: Longitudinal data were collected from a community sample of children of alcoholics (248) and matched controls (206) at three adolescent assessments (micro(age) = 13-15) and a long-term follow-up in young adulthood (micro(age) = 25)., Measurements: College attendance and degree completion by age 25 were self-reported in young adulthood. During adolescence, self-reports of alcohol and drug use were assessed with log-transformed quantity/frequency measures; substance use risk factors [e.g. parental monitoring, externalizing and internalizing symptoms and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version III (DSM-III) diagnosis of parental alcoholism] were assessed by both self- and parent-report, and adolescent reading achievement was assessed using a standardized assessment of reading achievement (Wide Range Achievement Test)., Findings: Using growth curve modeling, we found that mean levels and growth in adolescent substance use mark, or identify, those adolescents who are at risk for reduced odds of attending and completing college. Moreover, adolescent substance use was not merely a marker of risk, in that growth in drug use (but not alcohol use) significantly mediated the effects of parental alcoholism and early externalizing behavior on later college completion, partially explaining the effects of these risk factors on college completion., Conclusions: The current study provides evidence for both the marker and the mediator hypotheses, and identifies multiple pathways to higher educational attainment. The findings point to the importance of studying the effects of adolescent substance use in a broader developmental context of its correlated risk factors to specify more effectively the key pathways to later developmental outcomes.

Objective: Previous research has found that siblings resemble each other in terms of alcohol use but has not examined sibling influence in young adult or high-risk siblings. The current study tested whether siblings prospectively influenced each other's alcohol use and how gender matching, age differences, and family conflict might moderate such effects., Method: Data from sibling pairs (n=169 pairs) in an ongoing longitudinal study of children of alcoholics and matched controls were collected at two time points 5 years apart., Results: Older sibling alcohol use predicted younger sibling alcohol use, even after controlling for membership in a shared peer group and for parental alcoholism. However, moderator variables qualified this effect, such that older sibling influence was significant only among sibling pairs who were of the same gender, closer in age, and from higher conflict families. Younger sibling influence was significant only for sibling pairs close in age, suggesting the presence of reciprocal peer-like effects in this subgroup., Conclusions: The current study provides evidence for sibling influence on alcohol use into adulthood, but the extent of this influence depends on sibling similarity in age and gender and on levels of family conflict. Implications for family-based theory and intervention efforts are discussed.

Objective: Previous research has found drinking restraint to be a risk factor for alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in normative populations, but has not tested these relations in high-risk populations. The current study tested whether drinking restraint predicted alcohol-related outcomes in the same way for high-risk and low-risk individuals and tested whether there was a quadratic effect of drinking restraint on alcohol-related outcomes., Method: Data from an ongoing longitudinal study of children of alcoholics (COAs; n = 189) and controls (n = 192) were collected at two time points 5 years apart., Results: The prospective findings extended previous cross-sectional literature by replicating the main effects of drinking restraint as a risk factor for subsequent drinking for controls. For COAs, however, higher levels of drinking restraint were associated with lower levels of later drinking. There was also a quadratic effect of drinking restraint in the prediction of alcohol dependence diagnoses, suggesting that those at the extreme levels of drinking restraint were least likely to develop alcohol dependence., Conclusions: The relation of drinking restraint to alcohol-related outcomes may be more complex than previously hypothesized because it may work in different directions for high- and low-risk individuals and may have a nonlinear relationship to diagnostic outcomes.