A case-control study was conducted to test hypotheses about involvement in alcohol-related road accidents. Cases were defined as all male drivers between 18 and 25 years of age who were involved in a police-registered alcohol-related road accident in the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Ticino or the city of Zurich in 1990 and who had a BAC level of 0.8% and more (N = 306). Accident-free controls were drawn from registers of all persons with a driver's licence, matched for sex, age, and place of residence (N = 612). The main research instrument was a questionnaire distributed to cases and controls. Since response rates were relatively low in both groups (ca. 35%), specific analyses were undertaken to exclude the possibility of a selection bias. Results demonstrated that drinking pattern and risk behaviour were important contributing factors to the accidents. Especially, male persons with a permanent heavy-drinking style, males with a risky-driving style plus a regular or periodically heavy-drinking style, and persons who enjoy taking risks and drink to cope, increase their risk of being involved in an alcohol-related traffic accident more than sixfold. A tendency to engage generally in risky behaviour did not increase the risk of involvement in an alcohol accident.
A method called nonactive role-playing, originally developed in social psychology, is applied to illustrate cultural differences with respect to drinking between Denmark, Finland and West Germany. West Germany and Denmark have clearly higher level of alcohol consumption than Finland, whereas Finland has adopted strictest alcohol control policy. In nonactive role-playing the respondents are given a brief written story for which they are asked to produce a written imagined continuation. On the surface, the material of this study seemed to repeat the stereotypical images of hedonistic Danes, heavy-drinking Finns and ritualistic Germans. Deeper, it seemed that drinking has greatest expressive power in Finland where references to drinking are more frequent and they are used effectively as social markers in the process of events described. In Denmark and Germany, drinking is more self-evident and is less remarkably used as a carrier of specific cultural meanings. The findings are of interest in considering the nature of the debate on alcohol-related issues in different cultures.
The article discusses the context of a topic currently very much under discussion in Switzerland. It provides reflections on the concept of "addiction"--better replaced by "dependence syndrome"--and summarizes the few research results concerning the Swiss situation. Due to the lack of basic epidemiological data the prevalence of "dependence-related" problems at the work place and the actual consequences and costs of substance abuse can only be estimated. In a society with rapidly changing working conditions and requirements the common stereotypes of "alcohol-prone" occupations need a critical revision. Theoretical hypotheses are most advanced in the area of substance abuse in relationship to work-related stress coping.
The analysis of alcohol-related traffic accidents points to a negative relationship between the average amount of alcohol consumed and the percentage of alcohol-related accidents. The data show that the officially registered problem-rates among drivers under the influence of alcohol depend primarily neither on consumption trends nor on general preventive factors, but, rather on the capacity for accident detection, the recording practices of the authorities and a less tolerant public opinion. Regional differences in the willingness to enforce control measures are related to varying cultural drinking contexts. The under-reporting of occupational accidents reflects an undue emphasis in insurance statistics which are based on a guilt/moral concept which is used to justify sanctions, such as cuts in insurance benefits. It is clear from the empirical evidence, that the broad press coverage on 'alcohol-related' ski accidents proves to be a typical case of problem amplification.
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