As Economy Goes Down, Drinking Goes Up
Oct-17-2011

When the going gets tough, it seems that a lot of us may go drinking.
Along with higher unemployment and bankruptcy, an economic recession brings increased drinking of alcohol, a study suggests. The increased use of alcohol includes binge drinking, problem drinking, and driving under the influence.
The study is published in Health Economics.
The findings run counter to what had previously been thought about drinking habits during economic downturns.
"It was thought that when unemployment goes up, income goes down and people will consume less because they don't have the resources," says study researcher Michael T. French, PhD, a professor of health economics at the University of Miami.
"People are self-medicating with alcohol," French says. "If you have more free time, you can engage in activities like drinking more frequently than if you were employed. The self-medication and leisure time effect are dominating the income effect."
The new study tracked alcohol drinking patterns from 2001 to 2005, which predates the current recession. This means that things may be a whole lot worse now, French says. "There will also likely be an uptick in addiction and treatment admissions due to alcohol abuse."

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