title: Regularly Drinking Alcohol Before Sexual Activity in a Nationally Representative Sample: Prevalence, Sociodemographics, and Associations With Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We addressed regular drinking before sex and its associated risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative adult US sample (fielded 2004-2005), we determined the 12-month prevalence of regularly drinking alcohol before sexual activity. Among 17,491 sexually active drinkers, we determined the sociodemographic, psychiatric, and substance use correlates of regularly drinking before sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regular presex drinking's 12-month prevalence was 1.8%. Significant bivariate sociodemographic correlates were age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, family income, marital status, and employment status. Generalized anxiety disorder and alcohol dependence were associated with significantly increased odds of being a regular presex drinker after controlling for covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We estimate that 4.3 million American adults are regular presex drinkers. Future research should examine this public health issue at the population level, with particular focus on pathways that link it to psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Nicholas R. Eaton is with the Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY. Ronald G. Thompson Jr, Mei-Chen Hu, and Deborah S. Hasin are with the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY. Risë B. Goldstein and Tulshi D. Saha are with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Nicholas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Eaton
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Mei-Chen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Risë B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Tulshi D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Deborah S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hasin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult