The differential effects of alcohol consumption and dependence on adverse alcohol-related consequences: implications for the workforce

Previous literature has supported the hypothesis that high rates of alcohol consumption are associated with adverse social consequences and that dependence on alcohol has an effect on that relationship. The purpose of this paper is to further specify the alcohol consumption-adverse consequences linkage by developing and estimating a latent variable model that incorporates the mediating effects of loss of control over alcohol consumption. This model is applied to measures for three alcohol-related constructs—consumption, loss of control and adverse consequences—incorporated in the 1991 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, for members of the primary workforce in the US. The research suggests that workplace decision makers attempting to minimize the adverse workplace consequences of alcohol abuse should implement procedures that assess and respond to alcohol dependency rather than relying exclusively on detection of and intervention with alcohol consumption per se.