Background: "At-risk" drinking is associated with a variety of negative health and social consequences. However, little is known about the characteristics of at-risk drinkers or of changes in at-risk status over time.
Purpose: The objective was to examine the correlates of at-risk drinking and the prospective predictors of maintenance or change in at-risk status.
Method: Participants were 4,322 employed individuals assessed at baseline and 4 years later. At-risk drinking was defined as 2 or more drinks per day for men and 1 or more drinks per day for women.
Results: The baseline prevalence of at-risk drinking was 11%. Four percent of baseline not-at-risk individuals transitioned to at-risk drinking at follow-up, and 54% of the baseline at-risk individuals remained at-risk at follow-up. Several demographic-, work-, and tobacco-related variables differentiated at-risk groups and were prospective predictors of change in at-risk drinking status among those individuals who were not at risk at baseline. However, none of the constructs predicted change among at-risk drinkers.
Conclusion: The data suggest that at-risk drinking is of public health concern. Eleven percent of the participants met criteria for at-risk drinking. Further, at-risk and not-at-risk drinkers differed on numerous characteristics, and their drinking may be influenced by different factors.