Mason et al. 2010). In addition, large scale national surveys have demonstrated considerable racial/ethnic differences in alcohol use and abuse during adolescence. Notably, African American (AA) adolescents generally report lower levels of alcohol use than European American (EA) adolescents (French et al. 2002; SAMHSA 2002). However, AAs who use alcohol experience more alcohol-related problems than EAs (French et al. 2002; Wallace 1999). This finding highlights the importance of better understanding ethnic differences in developmental trajectories of alcohol use.
