FARE: A new study has revealed that
almost two thirds of people identified as being harmed by the drinking of
others in a 2008 survey, were still being harmed three years later. And it’s not your age, gender
or the number of times that you go out that is most likely to determine whether
you are at risk of being harmed, but rather the number of heavy drinkers in
your life.
The study, Beyond the
drinker: Longitudinal patterns in alcohol’s harms to others, followed up
Australian adults first surveyed in 2008 to see what level of harm they were
experiencing as a result of other people’s drinking; whether this situation was
remaining stable, improving or worsening; and what factors might predict
patterns over time.
The study found that having
been harmed in 2008 was a strong predictor of harms in 2011, with 65 per cent
of people who were negatively affected in 2008 reporting that they are still
being harmed by the drinking of others.
Funded by the Foundation for
Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and undertaken by the Centre for Alcohol
Policy Research (CAPR) the study expands on the landmark research from
Australia’s first Harm to Others population survey, The range and
magnitude of alcohol’s harm to others, published in 2010.
CAPR Director Professor Robin Room says the longitudinal
data presented a unique opportunity to examine how individual experiences of
alcohol’s harm to others persist or change over time.
“We wanted to see whether people
harmed by the drinking of others three years ago are still being harmed, and to
better understand the determining factors. This study clearly demonstrates the
persistent and ongoing nature of alcohol’s harm to others,” Professor Room
said.
The findings showed that the
majority of Australians (62 per cent) have been harmed as a result of someone
else’s drinking in at least one of the two surveys. Almost one third (32 per
cent) were negatively affected in both years.
The
research also highlighted the influence of social circles; with the number of
heavy drinkers in a person’s household, including close relatives and intimate
partners, being a strong predictor of experiencing alcohol-related harm from
others. This was more significant than other variables examined, including the
demographics and drinking habits of the person who was being harmed
Alarmingly, with each additional heavy drinker in their household this risk intensified,
with respondents almost six times more likely to experience harm.
FARE Chief Executive Michael Thorn says that the findings are
an important reminder for governments of the negative effects of alcohol
consumption and the collateral damage alcohol frequently causes to women and
children.
“This research highlights the scale and the persistence of
alcohol harms that extend beyond the drinker and makes clear that, in order to
address and reduce alcohol’s harm to others, Australia needs comprehensive
measures such as those that impact on the price, availability and advertising
of alcohol in order to diminish the prevalence of heavy drinking in the overall
population,” Mr Thorn said.