Orthogonal cultural identification theory examines how individuals perceive themselves and their families within the immediate social context and within the larger national context. Drug use is expected to relate negatively to cultural identification because recreational drug use by adolescents is rejected by almost all cultures and cultural identification is generally a positive factor in adjustment. A breakdown in cultural identification may lead to alcohol and other drug misuse because if one does not feel successful in a culture there will be little incentive to adhere to cultural norms and a tendency to engage in such behaviors. The study used ethnographic interviewing in order to provide information about the alcohol drinking norms, beliefs, context, and behavior of African-American and Haitian adolescents. The Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale was used to assess ethnic and cultural identification. Three hundred Haitian and non-Haitian Black students in the ninth to twelfth grades in three inner-city public schools were interviewed. The findings indicated no statistically significant association between cultural identification and alcohol use among either African-American or Haitian adolescents. However, the correlates of cultural identification as well as patterns of alcohol use differed in these two ethnic groups of Black adolescents. Most of the participants in this study reported drinking with friends. The data also indicated that the more racially and/or ethnically diverse their friendship networks, the less likely African-American adolescents were to report that their close friends drank. These findings have implications for prevention programs for youth from different racial and/or ethnic backgrounds. While similar proportions of these two ethnic groups of Black adolescents drink alcohol, they may be drinking for different reasons. 3 tables, 24 references