Three measures captured hazardous alcohol use: binge drinking frequency, times “drunk,” and driving after drinking. These three indicators were chosen as they assess patterns of excess use, aspects of subjective intoxication, and alcohol-related antisocial behavior, respectively. The definition of a binge episode was consistent with NIAAA guidelines at study onset (NIAAA, 2004). Respondents were asked to provide a free response to the open-ended question, “During the past three months, how many times did you have [five (men)/four (women)] drinks at a sitting?” Respondents were also asked to freely provide an integer response to determine the number of times drunk by the question, “During the past 3 months, how many TIMES did you get drunk (not just a little high) on alcohol?” Driving after drinking was captured by two questions: “During the past three months, how many times did you… [drive after having 1–3 alcoholic beverages/drive after having 4 or more alcoholic beverages?”. The available responses were: 0 = 0 times, 1 = 1 time, 2 = 2 times, 3 = 3–5 times, 4 = 6–10 times, 5 = 11–20 times, 6 = >20 times. The two drinking and driving items were summed to create a single variable.
