Drinking Reasons, Alcohol Consumption Levels, and Drinking Locations among Drunken Drivers

Abstract

In a DUI offender sample, four drinking reason factors are regressed on alcohol consumption variables and frequency of drinking in seven types of locations. Drinking for “pleasure” and “opposite sex/drunkenness” reasons are associated with both quantity consumed per occasion and away-from-home locations such as automobiles, bars, and parties, suggesting high traffic accident risk. “Escapism” reasons are related to quantity consumed per occasion, but are only weakly associated with specific locations; and “sociability” reasons are associated with drinking in friends’ homes, but are not related to high consumption levels. Implications for DUI countermeasures are discussed.