Aims: To study the bidirectional relationships between life satisfaction (LS) and alcohol use. Methods: Health questionnaires were administered in 1975, 1981 and 1990 to a population-based sample of healthy Finnish twins aged 18-45 at baseline (n = 14,083). These included a LS scale and three indicators for adverse alcohol use: binge drinking, passing out and high consumption (women/men ≥400/800 g/month). In longitudinal analyses, logistic regression, pair-wise case-control analyses and growth

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... odels were applied. Results: All alcohol indicators increased the age-adjusted risk of becoming dissatisfied regardless of study period [binge drinking odds ratio (OR) 1975-1990 = 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.50; high consumption OR 1975-1990 = 1.60; 1.29-1.99 and passing out OR 1981-1990 = 2.01; 1.57-2.57]. Also, the dissatisfied had an increased subsequent risk for adverse alcohol use. The risk for passing out due to drinking (OR 1975 1.22-1.86) was increased regardless of study period, while high consumption (OR 1975 (OR -1981 1.40-2.77; OR 1981 1.50-4.12) and binge drinking (OR 1975 (OR -1981 = 1.37; 1.12-1.67) showed some variation by the study period. Predictions remained after multiple adjustments. Longitudinally, high consumption predicted dissatisfaction somewhat more strongly than vice versa. The change/levels within the whole range of LS and alcohol consumption were only slightly associated in the entire study population. Conclusion: Life dissatisfaction and adverse alcohol use reciprocally predict each other prospectively. The heavier the alcohol use the stronger the relationship.