Ethnicity and Drinking

In terms of the role of ethnicity on drinking, based on our limited number of participants, we could not find a direct correlation. In doing research it was found that in National studies Caucasian and Native American young adults drink more than their African Americans and Asians counterparts while drinking rates for Hispanics fall in the middle. In addition to drinking more often Caucasians drinking age tends to peak around 19–22 years old while heavy drinking among African Americans and Hispanics peaks later and persists longer into adulthood. It is thought that this difference in ages of those who drink the most is brought on by the Caucasian perspective of heavy drinking as a youthful experience where as Hispanics see heavy drinking as a right earned by maturity and life experiences.