A theoretical model is presented in which alcohol consumption patterns are expressed in terms of frequencies of initiation and probabilities of continued drinking once consumption has begun. The model is used to explicate the relationship between measures of drinking frequency, drinking quantity, modal or typical drinking and total alcohol consumption. A mathematical realization of this model is developed and applied to data on quantities and frequencies of alcohol use obtained from a general population survey of California consumers. These data were used to estimate the basic parameters of the alcohol consumption model, obtain drinking patterns estimates derived from the model and analyse these measures in the context of background demographic variables.
Abstract