Although alcohol abuse and dependence were greater among males than among females, there was evidence of convergence of the rates between the sexes in the youngest age groups (table 2). The male-to-female ratios (i.e., male rate divided by the female rate) were lowest in the 18-to-29-year-old group. However, when the male-to-female ratio was examined separately for each ethnic group, it was clear that the rate converged among the youngest age groups only among nonblacks. In contrast, the male-to-female ratio was much lower among blacks in the 30-to-64-year-old groups. Thus, alcohol abuse and dependence were more prevalent in the younger age groups, particularly among nonblack females.
