Table 6.
Reasons for Alcohol Use: Multivariate Analyses among Past 12-Month Users
| Reason for Use | Gender | Race/Ethnicity | Drug Use Level | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females | Males | White | Black | Hispanic | Experimental | Occasional | Heavier | ||||||
| % | % | OR | % | % | OR | % | OR | % | % | OR | % | OR | |
| Social/recreational | |||||||||||||
| To have a good time | 70.3 (ref) | 74.8 | 1.10*** | 74.7 (ref) | 54.3 | 0.54*** | 70.1 | 0.86** | 32.7 (ref) | 55.5 | 2.53*** | 79.2 | 7.49*** |
| To experiment | 47.8 (ref) | 41.5 | 0.86*** | 42.9 (ref) | 57.5 | 1.35*** | 50.0 | 1.10* | 77.3 (ref) | 63.7 | 0.53*** | 38.0 | 0.20*** |
| To get high | 44.5 (ref) | 51.3 | 1.15*** | 50.3 (ref) | 33.1 | 0.71*** | 37.7 | 0.71*** | 7.4 (ref) | 21.8 | 3.43*** | 56.8 | 15.10*** |
| Because of boredom | 21.6 (ref) | 24.1 | 1.07** | 23.3 (ref) | 21.7 | 1.15** | 18.6 | 0.76*** | 7.8 (ref) | 13.2 | 1.84*** | 26.1 | 4.47*** |
| To fit in | 9.0 (ref) | 11.9 | 1.37*** | 10.9 (ref) | 7.7 | 0.67*** | 7.7 | 0.74** | 10.0 (ref) | 11.2 | 1.10 | 10.2 | 0.87 |
| Coping with negative affect | |||||||||||||
| To relax | 40.2 (ref) | 42.3 | 0.98 | 43.3 (ref) | 25.5 | 0.58*** | 36.7 | 0.77*** | 10.3 (ref) | 22.8 | 2.52*** | 47.7 | 7.88*** |
| To get away from problems | 22.3 (ref) | 19.4 | 0.77*** | 21.5 (ref) | 14.7 | 0.78*** | 22.0 | 1.03 | 6.1 (ref) | 11.7 | 2.01*** | 24.1 | 5.14*** |
| Because of anger/frustration | 17.6 (ref) | 16.1 | 0.83*** | 17.3 (ref) | 12.5 | 0.87** | 17.2 | 1.05 | 4.3 (ref) | 8.6 | 2.04*** | 19.7 | 5.52*** |
| Drug effect | |||||||||||||
| To increase drug effects | 4.3 (ref) | 7.5 | 1.64*** | 6.1 (ref) | 4.5 | 1.04 | 4.5 | 0.79** | 0.4 (ref) | 0.8 | 2.35 | 7.4 | 22.33*** |
| To decrease drug effects | 0.5 (ref) | 1.2 | 2.22*** | 0.8 (ref) | 0.6 | 0.94 | 1.2 | 1.45* | 0.1 (ref) | 0.1 | 1.34 | 1.0 | 9.80** |
| Compulsive use | |||||||||||||
| To get through the day | 1.5 (ref) | 2.5 | 1.56*** | 1.9 (ref) | 2.1 | 1.47*** | 3.2 | 1.61*** | 0.3 (ref) | 0.6 | 2.33** | 2.5 | 10.62*** |
| Because I am hooked | 0.7 (ref) | 1.8 | 2.30*** | 1.2 (ref) | 1.0 | 1.09 | 1.4 | 1.01 | 0.1 (ref) | 0.1 | 1.85 | 1.6 | 23.28*** |
| Coping with physical needs | |||||||||||||
| To sleep | 5.1 (ref) | 7.3 | 1.37*** | 6.1 (ref) | 7.6 | 1.61*** | 5.5 | 0.92 | 1.4 (ref) | 3.3 | 2.41*** | 7.2 | 5.82*** |
| Miscellaneous | |||||||||||||
| To seek deeper insights | 2.8 (ref) | 5.6 | 2.00*** | 4.1 (ref) | 4.2 | 1.25** | 5.5 | 1.36* | 1.8 (ref) | 2.5 | 1.39 | 4.7 | 2.69*** |
| Tastes good | 46.7 (ref) | 47.2 | 0.92*** | 49.0 (ref) | 32.9 | 0.65*** | 40.6 | 0.80*** | 16.9 (ref) | 31.3 | 2.18*** | 52.7 | 5.08*** |
Note: All models controlled for year using year dummies.
*
p<.05;
**
p<.01;
***
p<.001