We all know that passive smoking can be extremely dangerous for a person, in fact, it can be worse than actually smoking a cigarette. So, we're made aware from the very start that we need to avoid passive smoking as much as possible. But what about second-hand drinking? Turns out, second-hand drinking can be just as bad as second-hand smoking. Confused? An Indian-origin scientist conducted a study which found that many people suffer harm because of someone else's drinking habits.
Around 21% of women and 23% of men – an estimated 53 million adults experienced harm because of someone else's drinking, found an analysis of the US national survey data. And this is data from just the past 12 months alone. If you're wondering what this 'harm' is, the analysis found that it could be anything from harassment to threats, vandalism, financial problems, ruined property, physical aggression, family problems etc.
The researchers also found that the types of harm people suffered from varied between the genders. So, while women reported financial and family problems, men reported ruined property, vandalism and physical aggression. There is “considerable risk for women from heavy, often male, drinkers in the household and, for men, from drinkers outside their family,” wrote the authors.
There were also other factors that could come to play like the person's age and drinking habits. The study found that people who were under 25 years of age were more likely to experience harm from someone else's drinking habits. Plus, people who themselves were heavy drinkers also experienced harm from someone else's drinking. And in fact, people who drank lightly also faced more harm as compared to people who completely abstained from consuming alcohol.
“Control policies, such as alcohol pricing, taxation, reduced availability, and restricting advertising, may be the most effective ways to reduce not only alcohol consumption but also alcohol’s harm to persons other than the drinker,” said an expert.
