A Controlled Study of the Characteristics of Young Male Alcoholics

Summary Compared with controls young alcoholics suffered considerably more disturbance and deprivation in childhood. They report less satisfactory relationships than the controls on every level. They came to medical attention significantly more often than the controls, and complained more frequently of nervous symptoms. As a group the alcohol addicts were isolated and friendless. Making limited comparison with groups of alcoholics reported in the literature the young patients show a similar pattern of broken marriages and lack of participation in social activities, but are dissimilar in their lack of familial alcoholism.