Among all drinkers of alcohol, there is a great deal of regularity in the amount of drinking done in various settings. While men, as a group, drink more than women, the younger, more than the older, and the unattached more than the married, all drinkers tend to drink more at parties or bars and less at home or in private settings. Both heavier and lighter drinkers also drink more at bars and parties and less in other settings, but heavier drinkers drink more per occasion and frequent heavy drinking situations more often. Subjects classified as tavern regulars (men who frequent bars at least once a week, and women who frequent bars at least three times per month) reported drinking more in all settings than did other groups, had more associates who "drink quite a bit," and were more likely to report the serving of drinks when socializing. This suggests that the tavern helps in the maintenance of a social world of heavy drinking among those who drink more than others in most settings. Among subjects classified as streetcorner regulars, males drank relatively heavily in some settings, but their total amount of alcohol consumed was not much higher than the average for drinkers as a whole. Finally, the rates of heavier alcohol use and problems due to drinking were lower among the groups categorized as homebodies and "all others" than among tavern regulars and streetcorner regulars. 24 references.