The current study builds on the existing twin research on alcohol phenotypes to explore distinctions between young AA and EA women in age at first alcohol use and development of problem use. The aims of our investigation are: (1) to test for possible differences in rates of early and problem alcohol use and the association of the two; and (2) to quantify the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to age at first drink and problem use and the overlapping influences on these phenotypes.
