title: NONDRINKER MORTALITY RISK IN THE UNITED STATES.
abstract: The literature has shown that people who do not drink alcohol are at greater risk for death than light to moderate drinkers, yet the reasons for this remain largely unexplained. We examine whether variation in people'sreasonsfor nondrinking explains the increased mortality. Our data come from the 1988-2006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File (N= 41,076 individuals age 21 and above, of whom 10,421 died over the follow-up period). The results indicate that nondrinkers include several different groups that have unique mortality risks. Among abstainers and light drinkers the risk of mortality is the same as light drinkers for a subgroup who report that they do not drink because of their family upbringing, and moral/religious reasons. In contrast, the risk of mortality is higher than light drinkers for former drinkers who cite health problems or who report problematic drinking behaviors. Our findings address a notable gap in the literature and may inform social policies to reduce or prevent alcohol abuse, increase health, and lengthen life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Program, IBS, University of Colorado Boulder.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Departments of Health and Behavioral Sciences and Sociology, University of Colorado Denver.
authors.forename: Patrick M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado Denver.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miech
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Program, IBS, University of Colorado Boulder.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Population Program, IBS, University of Colorado Boulder.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kemp
keywords: NHIS; abstainers; alcohol; infrequent drinkers; mortality; nondrinkers; survival