The current sample consists of participants from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), an in-person survey of a US population sample. The NESARC has been described elsewhere (37, 38). The NESARC’s multistage cluster sampling procedure involved choosing 655 primary sampling units (PSUs; representing geographical regions), and selecting eligible housing units within the PSUs (39). Within each household, one individual was randomly selected. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic housing units were oversampled in order to ensure accurate estimates and sufficient sample sizes for analyses of these groups, and young adults aged 18–24 were oversampled in order to better understand heavy drinking in this age group. Participants were from all 50 states, and from households and group quarters (e.g., colleges, shelters). Wave 1 of the NESARC included 43,093 participants interviewed in 2001–2002 (response rate: 81.0%); Wave 2 was a re-interview of 34,653 of these individuals conducted in 2004–2005 (37, 38). The Wave 2 response rate was 86.7%, providing a cumulative response rate for the Wave 2 sample of 70.2% (38).
