There are several possible reasons for these higher correlations with drinking parameters and age-20 alcohol challenges as subjects grew older. These improved relationships might reflect a person’s more extensive experience with alcohol with age, with resulting more accurate insights into their early drinking experiences. Or, perhaps subjects became more familiar with the SRE questions with each subsequent interview, and gave greater thought to what their sensitivity to alcohol had actually been earlier in life. It is also possible that at age 35 (T15) these male subjects were more likely to think about their earlier alcohol experiences with a tinge of bravado regarding how well they were able to “handle their liquor” as young men compared to their reflections at age 50 (T30).
