title: The fate of drinkers: a six-year follow-up study of a community survey.
abstract: A study of the drinking habits of Coloured adults in 1963, and of a sample of the same population 6 years later, showed that drinking patterns had remained remarkably stable. Excessive drinkers tended to retain their drinking pattern. Very few ceased drinking on their own account and a negligible proportion came forward for treatment. Social drinkers and abstainers also tended to maintain their patterns of drinking--only a few became excessive drinkers. The mean age of excessive drinkers was lower than that of the social drinkers and abstainers. There was much less excessive drinking among women.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa