Growth, Persistence, and Desistance of Alcohol Use for At-Risk Men in Their 30s

Little is known about heterogeneity in men's drinking behaviors and their related consequences across mid-adulthood, and moreover, whether individual or social factors may predict such differences. This study examined 3 indicators of alcohol use, namely alcohol volume, heavy episodic drinking (HED), and drinking-related problems for men in their 30s.

Participants were 197 at-risk men from the Oregon Youth Study assessed 5 times across ages 29 to 38 years. Growth mixture modeling with count outcomes was used to examine unobserved heterogeneity in alcohol trajectories. Associations of latent classes of alcohol users with (i) classes for the other alcohol indicators, (ii) alcohol use by peers and romantic partners, (iii) alcohol classes previously extracted from ages 18 to 29 years, and (iv) past year alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnostic status at ages 35 to 36 years were examined.

A 3-class solution afforded the best fit for each alcohol indicator. Alcohol problems were relatively established in the 30s, with an ascending use class found only for volume. Although relatively few men were in higher classes for all 3 indicators, 45% of the sample was in the highest class on at least 2 indicators of use. Peer drunkenness was a robust predictor of the alcohol classes. Concordance among classes of alcohol users was seen from the 20s to the 30s, with prior desistance likely to be maintained for alcohol volume and HED. AUD diagnoses at ages 35 to 36 years were more common in the higher classes obtained for alcohol volume and alcohol problems.

Many men in their 30s engaged in a high volume of alcohol use without frequent engagement in HED, likely relating to continuing alcohol problems. The convergence of men's alcohol use with that of their peers found at younger ages was maintained into early mid-adulthood.