ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION AND LEISURE PARTICIPATION

Healthy and rewarding recreation participation is often proposed as an alternative to alcohol use and abuse. Yet, alcohol consumption usuall y occurs in one's non-work time and drinkers anticipate that alcohol c onsumption will contribute to their relaxation and enjoyment. Little r esearch has investigated the link between alcohol consumption and leis ure participation. This study investigated the relationship between al cohol consumption and leisure participation patterns in adults in the general population. Telephone interviews were used to determine subjec ts' frequency of participation in various leisure activities, frequenc y of drinking per month, and quantity of alcohol consumed per month. M ANOVA analyses indicated that frequency of drinking per month is assoc iated with greater participation in community social and outdoor activ ities. Partial correlation analyses indicated that some relationships between drinking and leisure participation varied significantly on the basis of whether or not daily drinkers were included in the analyses. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.