We emphasize that our findings apply only to trends in the United States. There are many environmental contributors to both alcoholism (and by extension, having a family member with alcoholism) and to obesity that vary from one cultural context to another. It is noteworthy that the United States has much higher rates of obesity than other developed countries,60 but has slightly lower rates of alcohol consumption than these countries.61 Cross-cultural replication of these analyses could provide further insights into the environmental factors that have contributed to these secular trends.
