Funding: NIAAA R01 AA022668
This study describes racial disparities in prolonged heavy drinking and persistent alcohol problems in a nationally representative sample of Americans followed from adolescence to middle age. The study identifies lifecourse socioeconomic factors that increase risk for these adverse alcohol outcomes, and assesses the extent to which racial disparities in these outcomes are explained by differential exposure to, and consequences of, these risk factors. Study results help to inform interventions targeted to different periods of the life course, which can help to reduce racial alcohol-related disparities.