GENDER COMPARISONS OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION IN ALCOHOLIC AND NONALCOHOLIC POPULATIONS

The purpose of this study was to examine the similarities and differen ces between male and female drinkers in terms of the estimated functio nal impact of alcohol intake on drinking occasions. Alcohol consumptio n on drinking occasions was documented in male and female alcoholics a nd occasional drinkers in face-to-face interviews and also in a genera l population statewide sample by means of a telephone survey. Expressi on of ethanol intake in terms of grams of ethanol consumed per kilogra m of total body water yielded data consistent with the notion that blo od concentrations of ethanol achieved by females on drinking occasions may have been quite similar to the values achieved by males. However, important gender differences were also found in terms of an older age of onset of regular drinking, less frequent alcohol intake and a high er percentage of abstainers among females.