The base rates of alcohol use and abuse in the general population are typically low in early adolescence, but the proportion of youth who use alcohol increases throughout adolescence (Johnston et al. 2010; SAMHSA 2002, 2013). A developmental perspective on alcohol use in adolescence emphasizes the importance of examining the growth pattern of alcohol use (e.g., increase or decline) over this developmental period using longitudinal modeling such as latent growth curve models (Duncan et al. 2006; Schulenberg and Maggs 2002). Individual differences in the rates of growth (e.g., faster or slower increase) in alcohol use and abuse are likely to be more predictive of subsequent problems and adverse outcomes. For instance, it has been shown that faster increase in alcohol use during adolescence is associated with more antisocial behavior and substance use problems in young adulthood (Duncan et al. 1997; Mason et al. 2010). In addition, large scale national surveys have demonstrated considerable racial/ethnic differences in alcohol use and abuse during adolescence. Notably, African American (AA) adolescents generally report lower levels of alcohol use than European American (EA) adolescents (French
