Differences in developmental patterns appear to continue into adulthood. Based on a national survey administered to individuals ages 26–70, compared to European Americans, African Americans were less likely to report being a current drinker, to have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, (46.6% versus 59.4%), a be a binge drinker (20.5% versus 22.2%), or to be a heavy drinker (4.9 % versus 6.9%; SAMHSA, 2011). In a variety of studies using different sampling methods, African American adults (Caetano, 2003; Caetano & Clark, 1998a; Caetano, Clark, & Tam, 1998; Lillie-Blanton, MacKenzi, & Anthony, 1991; SAMHSA, 2010, 2011) consistently report higher rates of abstaining from alcohol than is true for European Americans. Thus, among both nationally representative samples, as well as smaller, community based convenience samples, there is a robust overall group finding of lower rates of alcohol consumption and higher rates of abstinence among African Americans compared to European Americans across development. Moreover, these findings remained consistent, showing lower rates of drinking among African Americans, regardless of the methodology used in defining alcohol consumption (i.e., current drinker, drinking in past 30 days, lifetime, heavy alcohol use, or binge alcohol use).
