Attitudes to alcohol consumption: the attribution of addiction

Research on smoking has found actor-observer differences in the attributions of addictions. Non-smokers were much more likely to label the average smoker as addicted than the smokers were prepared to label themselves as such. This study sought to determine whether the findings from the studies on smokers generalized to those drinking alcohol. Subjects, who were classified as heavy, moderate, light and non-drinkers on the basis of their self-reported weakly consumption, completed a questionnaire. Results showed that although there were some similarities between findings on the attribution of smoking and drinking, drinkers were less concerned about stopping drinking and less likely to label themselves as addicted. The results were discussed in terms of lay beliefs about the health factors related to drinking.