Prediction of adults' drinking patterns from the drinking of their parents.

While studies have shown relationships between adolescent and parental drinking patterns, it is not known if these parental influences are maintained when the children are adults and further removed from early influences. A representative general population sample of 6,364 adults living in New York State were interviewed regarding their current drinking as well as about their family structure and the drinking patterns of their parents while they were growing up. A logit modeling analysis revealed that natural father's drinking while growing up, natural mother's drinking while growing up, family structure (father present or not) and sex of the respondent were all significant predictors of current heavy drinking of adults even while controlling for all of the other variables in the model. It is concluded that early family influences may have long-term consequences on drinking behaviors.