The health care system is greatly affected by alcoholism. In India, 10% of adults entering private physician's clinics are alcoholics and 15–40% of adult admissions to general hospitals are for alcohol related problems. One fact comes to the forefront while analyzing the whole scenario that is what makes certain drinkers strictly remain social drinkers while others further deteriorate to drinking as a habit and become addicts/dependents.
The aim of the present study was to determine the relative contribution of Hardiness, Self-esteem and Learned Helplessness in relation to alcohol use.
A sample of 300 alcoholics (adult males) was selected from community and de-addiction centres from Punjab. The measures used were Short Alcohol Dependents Data Questionnaire (SADD, Raistrick, Dunbar and Davidson 1983), Hardiness Scale (Kobasa & Kahn, 1982), Self-esteem Inventories Adult Form (Coopersmith's, 1981) and Learned Helplessness in relation to alcohol use.
Findings indicated that Hardiness, Self-esteem and Learned Helplessness contributed significantly for social drinkers whereas did not contribute significantly to increase level of alcohol use for problem drinkers and alcohol dependents.
It is concluded that hardiness, self-esteem and learned helplessness, contribute significantly for social drinkers. So health education programme can be launched at different level for social drinkers in different societies to help them not to become alcohol dependents in their later life.
Hardiness, self-esteem, learned helplessness, alcoholism
