Frequency of heavy episodic drinking (HED) was coded from participants’ response to the question, “How often did you have five or more drinks in 24 hours during the last 12 months?” from the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA) Interview.29 Responses included 13 options, ranging from “never,” “about 2 days a week” (100-149 days), to “every day.” Response options were converted into frequencies by taking the midpoint of each response option.30 For example, the responses “2 days per week” (100-149 days) and “every day” were translated to 124.5 days and 365 days per year, respectively. Those who reported that they did not drink during the past year were coded as zero.
