In addition to liabilities transmitted within families, social environments contribute to alcohol use and AUD. Differential environmental exposures lead to sex and racial/ethnic differences in alcohol outcomes (Karriker-Jaffe et al., 2012, Zapolski et al., 2014, Zemore et al., 2011). Prior models of joint genetic and environmental factors (Dick and Kendler, 2012, Shanahan and Hofer, 2005) further suggest genetic effects on alcohol use are more pronounced in adverse environments (with low social control) and become muted in protective environments (with high social control). Because there are few FH studies in adults that examine intersections with environmental context, we review evidence supporting social control mechanisms from twin and measured gene studies. Most of these studies have focused on proximal environmental exposures (Chartier, Karriker-Jaffe, Cummings, & Kendler, 2017). Alternatively, the current study focuses on two area-level indicators of social control: neighborhood alcohol availability and county-level adherence to religions with strong prohibitions against drinking.
