The current study uses data from a nationally representative survey to examine the length of time from first drink to development of alcohol dependence, comparing White, Black, and Hispanic men and women. The sample focuses on individuals younger than 45 years of age in an effort to minimize recall bias (Wagner and Anthony, 2007) and the possibility of differential alcohol-related mortality (Keyes et al., 2010). We report on age at drinking initiation, age of first episode of alcohol dependence, and time to progression from initiation of drinking to development of alcohol dependence with participants stratified by race/ethnicity and sex. In addition to exploring differences by race/ethnicity, we also examine sex differences within race/ethnicity subgroups in an effort to explore whether sex-related telescoping effects vary by race/ethnicity.
