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Solitary drinking: a risk factor for alcohol‐related problems?
Author(s) -
BOURGAULT CHANTAL,
DEMERS ANDRÉE
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb03200.x
Subject(s) - risk factor , population , logistic regression , confounding , alcohol , environmental health , injury prevention , respondent , psychology , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , demography , suicide prevention , medicine , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology , political science , law
This paper investigates whether solitary drinking is a risk factor for alcohol‐related problems using data from a general population of drinkers in Montreal, Canada. Three indicators of solitary drinking mere used: (1) having had a drink alone; (2) frequency of solitary drinking; and (3) having had five drinks or more in a solitary setting. Among the 2015 respondent drinkers of a telephone survey, 31% reported drinking alone, of whom 27% did so more than once a week, and 17% had had five drinks or more alone at least once. Problems with family or social relationships, physical health, work, budget, physical security and happiness or view of life, self‐reported as being alcohol‐related, were measured by seven binary items. Strong positive associations were found at the univariate level between overall alcohol‐related problems and both solitary drinking and having had five or more drinks alone, whereas frequency of solitary drinking had no effect. Only the relationship with having five or more drinks alone remained statistically significant in logistic regressions controlling for potential confounders. No evidence mas found that solitary drinking per se is a risk factor for alcohol‐related problems unless large quantities of alcohol are involved.