Data were drawn from a longitudinal study on family history of alcoholism (FH) and other correlates of alcoholism (see Sher et al., 1991; for a full description of the study). The baseline sample comprised of 489 first-year college students (46% men, mean age = 18.2) from a large Midwestern university. Half (51%) of the respondents were classified as FH positive (FH+; see Sher et al., 1991, for more details). Respondents were prospectively assessed seven times over 16 years (roughly at ages 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 29, and 35) by both interview and paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Overall retention was good, with over 84% of participants retained over the first 11 years of the study, and over 78% retained through year 16 (mean age = 34.5).
