Does
a person’s proximity to bars make them more likely to overindulge? A new study
suggests it might.
A
Finland-based research study followed nearly 55,000 Finnish adults for seven
years to track patterns related to alcohol consumption. The study found that
those who moved closer to bars were likely to increase their drinking. When a
person moved one kilometer closer to a bar, the odds of becoming a heavy
drinker rose 17 percent. For the purposes of the study, a "heavy
drinker" was defined as a man who drank more than 10 ounces a week or a
woman who drank more than 7 ounces a week of distilled alcohol.
Researchers
are careful to warn that proximity alone doesn’t turn someone into an alcohol
abuser. Many factors go into determining who is most at risk for developing
alcoholism. One explanation for the study’s results may be that those who
already like to drink will choose to live near bars.
The
study also looked at individuals who didn’t relocate but had a bar open nearer
to their home. Surprisingly the findings were similar for that group. Researchers
also factored in neighborhood poverty level, but distance from a bar remained
tied to the odds of becoming a heavy drinker.
The
findings were reported in the journal Addiction and are
based on surveys of 54,778 Finnish public employees who were followed over an
average of seven years.
At the outset there was a pattern of heavy drinking being more common when people lived close to bars or restaurants or hotels with bars. While the increased risk was modest, researchers found the association between access to bars and heavy drinking "notable."
If you or someone you love needs help for
alcohol abuse or addiction, call The
Canyon at the toll-free number on our homepage. We are here 24 hours a day to
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