Perceived Discrimination and Alcohol Use Among Black and White College Students (Letter to the Editor‪)‬

Dear Editor: Alcohol use among young adults has been of great concern to both researchers and policy makers. Research indicates that rates of alcohol use peak during late adolescence and the early 20s, and studies indicate that over 80% of college age young adults consume alcohol (O'Malley & Johnston, 2002). Estimates for college students and non-college students (of the same age) yield similar results. Young adults also tend to consume alcohol relatively frequently. Surveys indicate that the majority of young adults are current drinkers (defined as drinking within the past 30 days), with a 30-day prevalence of alcohol use of 68% for college students and 62% for non-college students (NIDA, 1995). Furthermore, studies indicate that a substantial proportion of college students can be classified as moderate to heavy drinkers, with prevalence rates around 40-50% (O'Malley & Johnston, 2002). Lastly, estimates are that 35% to 45% of college and noncollege young adults consume a large quantity of alcohol at one sitting (O'Malley & Johnston, 2002).