Judgments of "normal" and "problem" alcohol use as related to reported alcohol consumption

We obtained alcohol use data and judgments of individual ("What do you think?") and cultural ("What do people in general think?") norms for normal and problem quantity and frequency of alcohol use, as well as ratings of whether particular alcohol-related behaviors indicated a drinking problem, from 928 adult respondents who were members of Hawaii's five major racial/ethnic groups [Chinese, European (Caucasian), Filipino, Hawaiian/Part-Hawaiian, and Japanese ancestry]. As compared with older survey data (but consonant with recent survey data), Hawaiians have substantially increased in alcohol use, as have Filipinos (if they drink at all; a high proportion are abstainers), and to a lesser extent, Japanese. Chinese remain very low in alcohol use, while Caucasians have relatively decreased in use. Alcohol use norms (especially of own judged normal use) vary across sexes and ethnic groups and are predictors of consumption both within and across groups. Family resemblances are substantial with regard to alcohol use category (present users, former drinkers, abstainers). Among present users, family resemblances are often significant with regard to amount used; resemblances are more substantial between mothers and offspring than between spouses or between fathers and offspring. There were small but significant ethnic group differences in the number of specific behaviors judged to be indicative of a drinking problem, with the groups reporting the highest mean alcohol consumption (Caucasians and Hawaiians/Part Hawaiians) also indicating more behaviors, particularly pathological as opposed to celebratory behaviors, as being problematic.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)