Our findings on BMI and alcohol use disorders are consistent with other studies examining associations between alcohol consumption and body weight. Prior research suggests that men who consume alcohol do not consume fewer calories from other food sources than men who do not drink (Colditz et al., 1991). It is therefore not surprising that men with alcohol use disorders, who in most cases consume higher quantities of alcohol than men without disordered drinking, should be heavier than their counterparts without alcohol use disorders. The lack of association with past-year alcohol use disorders may reflect a gradual process of alcohol associated weight gain in men. Nicotine and/or drug use appear to attenuate the relationship between BMI and alcohol dependence, as the association was no longer significant when they were removed as covariates.
