Alcohol Drinking Patterns among Asian and Caucasian Americans

Previous studies have attributed low rates of alcoholism and alcohol consumption among Chinese and Japanese to genetic or to cultural factors. The present study examined the responses of 47 Asian and 77 Causasian American students who completed questionnaires concerning their drinking patterns, their own and their parents' attitudes toward drinking, and the cues they used to control alcohol consumption. Asian students were also administered assimilation measures. Results indicated that (a) Asians reported more moderate drinking, (b) degree of assimilation was positively related to drinking, (c) attitudes toward drinking were related to reported drinking and were more negative in the case of Asians and their parents, and (d) Caucasians reported more extensive use of cues in the regulation of their drinking. The results suggest the importance of cultural factors in drinking patterns.