We used data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS), an ongoing longitudinal cohort study with the aim of understanding the role of alcohol use on health. All HIV+ individuals receiving care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System are included plus an age-, race-, and site-of-care matched control group without HIV infection. In addition to full electronic health record data, a sub-set of consented patients also provide survey data on alcohol use and other behaviors. Detailed information about VACS has been reported elsewhere.30,31 The Institutional Review Boards of the participating VA sites and the coordinating center approved the VACS.
