Excessive alcohol use has been associated with health, social and legal problems. Studies of alcohol-drinking problems have mainly focused on patients with alcohol-drinking problems and few studies have focused on their family members. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of family members of problem-drinker patients about their own hazardous or harmful alcohol-drinking behaviours.

In this qualitative descriptive study, participants were recruited from three hospitals randomly selected from northern and central Taiwan (2:1). Hazardous-drinker patients and their family members were screened using the Chinese version AUDIT. AUDIT scores>8 indicated harmful or hazardous drinkers. Data were collected in individual, audiotaped, in-depth interviews using an interview guide. Verbatim interview transcripts were analysed using ATLAS.ti, version WIN 7.0.

The sample of 35 family members with hazardous or harmful drinking behaviours perceived that their own alcohol-drinking behaviours were related to six major patterns: family habits, leisure activities with friends, work pressures, personal taste, a way to forget one's problems and to express happiness.

We recommend that programs to prevent harmful or hazardous drinking should emphasize understanding standard amounts of alcohol in alcoholic beverages, recommended amounts of alcohol consumption for males and females, knowledge about the long-term effects of excessive alcohol consumption; offer strategies to resist social pressure to drink; and build positive strategies for coping with stress.