SUICIDE RATES AND ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED-STATES, 1970-89

This study investigates the aggregate relationships between suicide ra tes and beverage specific measures of alcohol consumption for states i n the United States over periods of from 14 to 20 years. Time series c ross-sectional analyses of these aggregate state level data are presen ted which control for exogenous differences between states, time trend s and covariations over time in nine measures; age composition, male p opulation, non-white population, per capita land area, metropolitanism , income, unemployment, measures of religious preferences and divorce. After correcting for substantial autocorrelations in measurement erro r, the analyses revealed that suicide rates were specifically associat ed with spirits sales, age composition of state populations, per capit a land area, unemployment and religious preferences over time. While s uicide rates increased significantly as a function of increased spirit s sales, beer and wine sales were not associated with suicide rates. T hese findings suggest that it is not the consumption of ethanol per se but rather the consumption of ethanol in the form of spirits that is related to suicides. Rather, it would appear that a population-based p reference for the consumption of spirits is associated with suicide ev ents.