The current results offer support for our primary hypotheses that a low LR to alcohol predicts a higher rate of AUD onset over time in adult probands from the ongoing San Diego Prospective Study. The effect of LR was present even after controlling for other robust risk factors for AUDs, such as the FH of AUDs, the age of drinking onset, and baseline drinking levels. The inclusion of baseline quantity as a covariate helps ensure that LR was not just a consequence of earlier heavier drinking or tolerance. These data provide prospective evidence that the LR to alcohol is a unique risk factor for alcohol-related problems, and not simply a reflection or “marker” for a broader range of risk factors which influence adulthood AUD (King et al., 2006; Trim et al., 2007).
