Drinking Behaviours and the Alcohol Harm Paradox
This report investigates the alcohol harm paradox by comparing drinking behaviours between people who live in the most deprived quintile of neighbourhoods in the UK, to those who live in the least deprived.
What Did We Find?
The alcohol harm paradox cannot be solely attributed to differences in patterns of alcohol consumption and is caused by multiple reasons such as:
- Additional stress associated with living in a deprived neighbourhood, including higher levels of crime and reduced income etc.
- The higher likelihood of individuals having other risk factors for disease such as being overweight or smoking.
- Access (and willingness to access) to healthcare.
- Perceptions of control over their lives, and the choices they make.
