The difference context makes: Americans' views on abstinence and impairment

While it is acknowledged that social norms play a role in determining acceptable drinking levels, there has been little research on the factors that determine approved or prohibited consumption levels in particular social contexts. This paper investigates the factors that influence the choice of abstention or impairment (as compared to 'social drinking') through an analysis of the 1984 survey of American drinking patterns using logistic regression, a method that allows the separate identification of social and demographic factors that encourage abstention or impairment. Results show that although the effects of drinking status variables (such as lifelong abstainer) are contextually neutral, most social and demographic characteristics have differential effects depending on the specific context and the choice of abstention or impairment.