Patterns of alcohol abuse among black and white alcoholics

The drinking practices of a matched sample of 78 Black and 78 White, male, hospitalized alcoholics were compared. The groups were matched on age and educational level; and they were equivalent in terms of marital and employment status, number of times hospitalized for treatment of alcoholism and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and number of arrests. The Alcohol Use Inventory was used to assess drinking practices. Significant multivariate and univariate analysis of variance indicated that (a) Whites reported greater daily consumption of alcohol, a tendency to perceive alcohol as a means of relieving psychological distress, and a greater level of psychological distress as a consequence of alcohol abuse than Blacks; and (b) Blacks reported a tendency to perceive alcohol as a means to improve mental functioning and to experience more serious psychoperceptual withdrawal symptoms than Whites.