Proportional hazard analyses were completed using SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc. (c) 2000–2008) proc surveyphreg using the NHIS adult-sample weight from the pooled surveys adjusted for ineligible respondents. Survey adjustments include design, cluster, primary sampling units (PSU), ratio non-response and post-stratification adjustments for sample adults. The outcome variable was time between the alcohol survey and either mortality or censoring of the data (fourth quarter of 2011). In addition to the drinking pattern variables (current non-drinker, quantity, non-binge frequency, and binge frequency), models included gender, race, birth cohort (classified as a categorical variable corresponding to 5-year bins), year of survey (as a fixed effect), exercise, comorbidity, and socioeconomic factors listed above.
