1 in 5 adults are negatively affected by someone else's drinking
![Drinking.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rTBQTfb3uViCa6T7CNxPxa-415-80.jpg)
Alcohol is a treat best enjoyed responsibly, as countless advertisements have cautioned. But as it turns out, if you ignore that advice you might harm more than just yourself.
A new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs on Monday concluded that over 20 percent of adults in the U.S. have been harmed in some way by someone else's drinking — from property damage to physical harassment, and everything in between. The study analyzed survey data taken from 8,750 adults back in 2015, Fox reported.
While drunk driving is perhaps the most well-known negative effect of alcohol consumption, the factors surveyed for in this study also included less apparent effects such as "feeling threatened or afraid," "having family or marital problems," and "having financial trouble." And given that the surveys only asked about any of these effects occuring in the past 12 months, the one-in-five figure "might be an underestimate," said Katherine Karriker-Jaffe, one of the study's authors.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There were some discrepancies in the different sources of harm for men and women who answered the survey: Women were more likely to report harm by partners or family members, while men were more likely to report harm by strangers who had been drinking. But harassment was by far the most common harmful effect, for both men and women.
Investigating the secondhand effects of drinking is a field "in its relative infancy," said Timothy Naimi, an alcohol epidemiologist at Boston Medical Center — so more research must be conducted in order to determine the best ways to lessen the harms associated with alcohol consumption. Read more about the results of this study at Fox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
Ukraine's Olympians: going for gold in the line of fire
Under the Radar Hundreds of the country's athletes have died in battle, while those who remain deal with the psychological toll of war and prospect of Russian competitors
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Democrats now have a chance to present a vigorous, compelling case'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?
In Depth It's not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published