This was assessed using the question: ‘Think of all the alcoholic drinks you had during the past 12 months. How many drinks did you have during a typical week’? Responses ranged from 1 (never had a drink in my life) to 7 (more than 30 in a typical week). For the present analysis, individuals were recoded into those who had never drunk alcohol, light drinkers (less than six drinks in a typical week) and heavier drinkers (six or more drinks in a typical week). A drink was defined as a glass of wine, a can or half pint of beer or lager, a bottle (e.g. Bacardi Breezer), or a single measure of spirits.
