MOTIVATION FOR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTIONS BY ADULTS: TRADITIONS OR AN ATTEMPT TO SOLVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS (EXEMPLIFIED BY THE CITY OF LVIV AND LVIV REGION, UKRAINE)
OBJECTIVE: The aim: To clarify motivation trends of alcohol consumption by adults in the city of Lviv and Lviv region and their mental health risk factors as compared to the specificity of motivation for alcohol consumption by the representatives of other European countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study is based on the data of the representative survey of Lviv region residents (1,200 persons) following the methodology RARHA adjusted for Ukraine and its statistical processing. RESULTS: Results: The results of the study point to the prevalence of social and recreational, traditional motives for alcohol consumption by Lviv region residents (consumption during solemn ceremonies and celebrations). Extremely important, as compared to other European countries, are social motives (the sense of belonging to an important social group). The importance of social factors for the respondents decreases a bit with age and considerably depends on the specific features of religious practices. A wide-spread motive is the striving for changing the emotional state, combined with higher abuse risk as compared to the people who drink on social occasions. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The results of the study characterize the specificity of the motivational structure of alcohol consumption by Ukrainians as compared to the general European trends and can be used for the development of targeted regional prevention programs.