Telescoping of drinking-related behaviors: gender, racial/ethnic, and age comparisons.
OBJECTIVE
To examine demographic differences in alcohol telescoping-the rate of self-reported movement from regular alcohol consumption to the onset of regular heavy drinking-as well as differences in ages of initiation of regular alcohol use and alcohol use to intoxication.


METHODS
The present study compared the retrospective reports of 2037 clients (1252 males, 785 females) enrolled in substance user treatment facilities around the country in 1998 and 1999.


RESULTS
Overall, the findings support previous research, indicating that women generally move more rapidly than men from initiation of regular alcohol use to problem use (telescoping). The findings also indicate that African-Americans generally begin regular alcohol use later than their Anglo counterparts and move more rapidly from initiation of regular alcohol use to problem use (telescoping). Examining the sample by older vs. younger age groups demonstrates that gender and racial/ethnic differences in the age of initiation of regular alcohol use and in telescoping may be limited by age group, as these patterns appear in the older but not the younger cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that self-reported regular alcohol use, alcohol abuse, and telescoping differences vary dramatically by gender, race/ethnicity, and age cohort. Furthermore, the pattern of findings suggests that these differences are more likely the result of sociocultural than biological differences between the groups under study.
Johnson
Patrick B
PB
Dept. of Human Development and Learning, Dowling College, Oakdale, NY 11769, USA. johnsonp@dowling.edu
Richter
Linda
L
Kleber
Herbert D
HD
McLellan
A Thomas
AT
Carise
Deni
D
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors