In 2016–2017, we conducted a one‐year study of 2174 participants at least 50 years of age (born 1966 or earlier) who met lifetime criteria for DSM‐IV Alcohol Dependence. On average, these individuals had last participated in COGA 22 years earlier. 14 The main goal of the pilot study was to show recruitment feasibility given the long interval between contacts. Participants were interviewed by telephone with a brief, nondiagnostic assessment covering their current living situation, physical health, and current alcohol consumption and problems. In the brief one‐year recruitment, 706 were interviewed, 524 were found to be deceased, 28 were unable to be interviewed, and 55 refused; with 861 remaining to be recruited at a later time. Of those interviewed, 99% agreed to be contacted again in the future, and that encouraging finding led to the design of a more extensive investigation of older COGA individuals, ushering in the lifespan study.
