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Abstract
This paper describes findings from a survey of alcohol consumption among a general population sample of 1000 adults living on the Isle of Man. This survey was conducted in 2005. It is part of the large scale epidemiological venture entitled ‘Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study’ (GENACIS). Findings were compared with those of the UK GENACIS survey. The latter had elicited information from 2027 adults. This paper examines the relationships between alcohol and other psycho‐active drug use, gender and health. For the Isle of Man sample, drinking frequency was associated with having poorer physical health. In the combined Manx and UK samples, ‘binge’ drinkers tended to have poorer mental health than other drinkers. Low income and high levels of cigarette smoking were associated with poor physical and mental health in both countries. Cannabis use was related to poor mental health. Women appeared to have better physical health than men, but there was no gender difference in relation to mental health. Once income and educational level were held constant, there were no overall differences between the Isle of Man and the UK. A complex and confusing interaction was found between age and monthly income.