Subjects were recruited and evaluated identically across the participating sites (45). At each site, male and female alcohol-dependent probands and their family members were recruited, as well as members of control families. The present analyses were limited to a subset of the former sample: women from families densely-affected by alcoholism who themselves met DSM-IIIR criteria for a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence. The Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism [SSAGA (46, 47)] was used to establish this diagnosis as well as the presence of CD problems and a smoking history. The SSAGA and other instruments were also used to identify and exclude individuals with psychiatric (i.e., mania, psychosis) or medical conditions (i.e., acute intoxication, seizures, stroke, meningitis, heart or liver disease, past year pregnancy) that would confound the interpretation of the results.
