Abstract:Whilst most spouses/partners (hereby referred to as ‘partners’) of military personnel do not report issues with alcohol misuse (1-3), there is evidence that the female partners of military personnel exhibit distinctive drinking patterns (4). For instance, UK military partners appeared to drink less frequently yet reported more drinks per occasion, and higher levels of binge-drinking, compared to the female partners of civilians. The alcohol use of military partners appears to be linked to longer militaryrelated separations (2, 4), but it is unclear how and why separations influence drinking or what other factors may influence partners’ drinking behaviours. This study aimed to explore influences upon the alcohol use of partners of UK military personnel. To date, there has been limited work on this topic in a UK context, and no qualitative research investigating alcohol use in this population. This work is therefore necessary to determine how best to support military partners who are experiencing problems with their alcohol use. The project consisted of three parts: 1. A systematic review of the published literature to determine levels of alcohol outcomes (misuse, binge-drinking etc) and related risk factors among military partners.2. A qualitative diary-interview study which sought to understand military partners’ experiences of drinking and their perceived influences (Study 1). 3. A review of available supports for partners of (ex-)military personnel who wish to reduce their alcohol use (Study 2).