Subjective, social, and physical availability. I. Their interrelationships.

The alcohol availability literature suggests that physical conditions which restrict alcohol availability reduce rates of alcohol consumption. Smart (1980) argued that the availability construct should be expanded to include subjective and social components. It was hypothesized that people who perceived alcohol to be subjectively and socially available would consume more alcohol than those who did not and that physical availability would only indirectly affect consumption. These hypotheses were examined using data from a telephone survey. In Part I, the interrelationships between physical, subjective, and social availability are described. In Part II (this journal, Vol. 25, No. 9), the relationships between these variables and alcohol consumption are explored.