The population from which the sample was initially drawn consisted of New Jersey households with telephones from all but five counties. A quota sample of 1,380 subjects was developed who were tested initially between 1979 and 1981 at the ages of 12, 15, and 18. These subjects returned 3 years later to be retested with the same battery of instruments. The family environmental variables tapped aspects of parental behaviors and attitudes, parenting styles, and family harmony and cohesion. Generally, parenting style (as measured by parents' warmth and hostility) and parental tolerance of alcohol explained variations in the three problem domains studied. Although parental alcohol use ("modeling") was an important determinant of the child's alcohol use and the child's choice of alcohol to cope, this influence became secondary to general parenting style when the other problematic outcomes were examined. 5 tables and 47 references