The alcohol consumption of 150 convicted male drunken drivers was studied by questioning about alcohol consumption, by using the CAGE questionnaire, and by measuring four biological markers of excessive drinking in serum samples. The mean self-reported alcohol consumption was 58 g/day, and 35% had scores of three or more in the CAGE test, which might indicate alcoholism. Elevated levels of carbohydrate deficient transferrin and gamma glutamyltransferase were found in 35% and 23% of the subjects, respectively. The results of the study indicate that the alcohol consumption levels among convicted drunkendrivers was high. It was particularly high among those with high blood alcohol concentrations when arrested. In contrary to previous reports, the alcohol consumption was not found to be higher among those above 30 years of age than among the younger ones. (A).
Samenvatting