It has been suggested that across race, income is positively associated with alcohol consumption (Grant, 1997; Moore et al., 2005; Parker, Weaver, & Calhoun, 1995; Zarkin, French, Mroz, & Bray, 1998). However, the opposite appears to be true for a subset of African American men (e.g., Jones-Webb et al., 1995; Jones-Webb et al., 1997). Studies of very poor individuals that differentiate among levels of poverty indicate that extremely poor African American men appear to be at markedly elevated risk for alcohol abuse (e.g., Ford et al., 2007; Gilman et al., 2008). Barr and colleagues (1993) found similar results: African American men who were severely impoverished (annual family income less than $15,000) were significantly more likely to report high levels of alcohol consumption than were African American women (and, interestingly, European Americans) at similar incomes. Similarly, Herd (1990) found the highest rates of heavy drinking among very low-income African American men (incomes between $10,001 and $15,000). Thus, there appears to be something specific about this subgroup of African American men that places them at higher risk of drinking, even despite their reduced income.
