Many different alcohol-related phenotypes have been used to investigate genetic risk, including formal diagnoses, such as alcohol dependence [e.g., based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV)3] and screening tests that measure alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems [e.g., the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)]. The AUDIT, a 10-item, self-reported test developed by the World Health Organization as a screen for hazardous and harmful drinking4,5 has been used for genome-wide association studies (GWASs) both as a total score6–8 and as the AUDIT-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and AUDIT-Problems (AUDIT-P) sub-scores8. The three-item AUDIT-C measures the frequency and quantity of usual drinking and the frequency of binge drinking, while the 7-item AUDIT-P measures alcohol-related problems.
