It bears emphasis, however, that racial/ethnic disparities emerged across problem types, including injuries, accidents, and physical dependence symptoms. Greater bias and scrutiny alone cannot be responsible for these effects. This may suggest that the conditions surrounding drinking also vary for Black men, Latino men, and those most susceptible to alcohol problems at lower heavy drinking levels: those who are poor, exposed to prejudice and unfair treatment, young, and unmarried. One specific possibility is that drinking to cope with difficult life conditions may exacerbate alcohol problems in these groups. Zapolski et al. highlight a possible role for drinking to cope in Black-White disparities, particularly given a lack of other life reinforcers. Drinking to cope predicts alcohol dependence/consequences independently of heavy drinking, though it is not known why (Windle and Windle, 2015; Zemore et al., 2015). It seems possible that, through negative reinforcement, drinking to cope intensifies the physiological and psychological effects that contribute to dependence. Drinking under the influence of negative emotions could also intensify uncomfortable interpersonal interactions (via alcohol-induced myopia) and heighten risky behaviors (by blocking effective self-regulation), thus leading
