Alcohol was detected in nearly 36% of male and 28% of female suicide decedents. There were noteworthy age differences in the relative likelihoods of drinking for suicide decedents versus survey respondents. Looking first at any alcohol ingestion, nonelderly male and female suicide decedents were two to four times more likely to use alcohol prior to suicide than the living sample was likely to drink in the 48 hours prior to the interview. Above age 65, the ratio was less than one, suggesting that for older people, alcohol ingestion per se does not acutely elevate the risk of suicide. However, the most striking findings concerned heavy alcohol ingestion, with the ratio (heavy drinking probability among suicide decedents versus that in living respondents) rising rapidly and remaining high even in older age. These findings suggest that suicide decedents were more likely to drink and more likely to drink heavily relative to the living population.
