Racial differences in alcohol and tobacco use in adolescence and mid-adulthood in a community-based sample.

Blacks were less likely to engage in drinking across the life course, but, among drinkers, more likely to binge drink in mid-adulthood. Blacks were more likely to smoke in mid-adulthood, but smoked infrequently compared with Whites. These patterns suggest that a reframing of disparities mechanisms to focus on broader structural and social factors may benefit progress in understanding and ameliorating inequities.