Nonetheless, some evidence indicates higher likelihood of alcohol abuse and dependence (Caetano, 1997; Caetano et al., 1998; Galvan & Caetano, 2003; Mulia et al., 2008) and alcohol-attributable injury (Keyes et al., 2012a) among Blacks compared with Whites. The reasons for such disparities remain inadequately understood, particularly as the present study suggests that age-related differences in drinking through the mid-30s may not be potentially underlying these epidemiologic patterns. Available data indicate few racial/ethnic differences in treatment utilization for substance problems (Alvanzo et al., 2014; Keyes et al., 2008b), suggesting that differential rates of service use are also unlikely to explain these results. Further research that attends to lifecourse patterns of substance use and its consequences into adulthood are needed.
