Alcohol dependence is characterized by maladaptive patterns of alcohol consumption manifested by symptoms leading to clinically significant impairment or distress (APA, 1994). In the USA, the lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence is high (12.5%) (Hasin et al. 2007), and represents a significant public health burden (Rehm et al. 2009) requiring effective prevention and treatment, for which factors indicating high-risk groups must be identified and clarified.
