Who your friends are can affect your health as much as your family history or genetic background. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that the drinking habits of those people in your extended social group can determine if you will drink heavily or not drink at all.
The study found that a person was 50 percent more likely to drink heavily if a friend they are directly connected with also drinks heavily. This effect was not limited to immediate contacts. A person was 36 percent more likely to drink heavily if a friend of a friend was a heavy drinker. At three degrees of separation, that person was still 15 percent more likely to drink heavily if the other person was also a heavy drinker.
The researchers used information from the landmark Framingham Heart Study, which followed 12,067 people for more than 30 years and helped to define the patterns in social networks of other health issues like obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases. This analysis sought to explore patterns of alcohol use in a large social network.
This new information will allow physicians to have a fresh view of interventions and treatment approaches to alcohol abuse. It may be necessary for physicians to examine the person’s whole social network.
