Correlates of stages in the progression from everyday drinking to problem drinking.

Data is presented on the following related problems: (1) social characteristic associated with differences in drinking style; (2) variables correlated with intensified consumption; (3) variables, other than consumption level, correlated with harmful effects of alcohol. The concepts of status role, positional role and situation role were used to develop hypotheses. Drinking alcoholic beverages is considered as an element of situation roles in which drinking alcohol is considered meaningful and appropriate. The hypotheses are that status groups tend to differ in drinking style (problem 1) and because of these differences, differ also in the degree to which drinking is associated with harmful effects (problem 3). The three positional roles: living with a partner, care for children at home, and employment were combined to indicate the structure of everyday life. The hypotheses were that people with a less structured everyday life are inclined to intensify their consumption (problem 2); and are more vulnerable to harmful effects (problem 3). Most of these hypotheses were confirmed. Gender and the integration of alcohol use appear to be intervening variables concerning the effect of the structure of everyday life on intensified consumption and on harmful effects.