Poverty And Crime, Not Bars Or Liquor Stores, Influence Alcohol Consumption, Study Says
“Communities often worry that opening bars and liquor stores may lead to more widespread drinking problems, but new research suggests that disorganization and poverty in a neighborhood play bigger roles in local drinking levels than the availability of alcohol. The researchers hope these findings, published in the Journal of Urban Health, may lead to more informed intervention methods to help prevent alcohol abuse. Results revealed that people who lived in neighborhoods that were characterized by high poverty and disorganization drank about twice as much in a week as those living in other types of neighborhoods. In addition, binge drinking was about four times more common in neighborhoods with high poverty and high disorganization. On the other hand, neighborhoods that were characterized by greater availability of alcohol, such as those with more bars and liquor stores, did not show an increase in alcohol use. Together, these results suggest that poverty, not alcohol availability, may put people at greater risk for drinking problems.”