Here, we examine problematic and normative alcohol use in a population-based sample of US emerging adults. The Spit for Science (S4S) sample (Dick et al., 2014) was recruited at a large, urban university as part of a study on alcohol use and other health-related behaviors. In addition to emerging adulthood being an important period for clarifying the etiology of alcohol use outcomes, there is evidence that college students drink more than their non-college attending peers (Quinn and Fromme, 2011), and that the college environment actually enhances the degree to which genetic influences are important for alcohol consumption (Timberlake et al., 2007). Accordingly, this population presents an opportunity to readily obtain large samples in order to assess genetic influences on alcohol outcomes. The Spit for Science sample's ethnic diversity further enables us to assess whether genetic effects are consistent across ancestry groups.
