undetected. The important question to address then becomes how consistent reporters differ from inconsistent reporters with respect to alcohol-related outcomes. Is onset of alcohol use more salient and therefore more reliably reported by those who go on to drink heavily (Labouvie et al., 1997), with those who drink more lightly misremembering (or choosing not to recall) early use? If so, then by failing to correctly classify some of the early onset non-problem drinkers as early initiates, retrospective studies may overestimate the associated risk for problem alcohol use.
