Harms from other people's drinking: an international survey of their occurrence, impacts on feeling safe and legislation relating to their control

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine factors associated with suffering harm from another person's alcohol consumption and explore how suffering such harms relate to feelings of safety in nightlife.DesignCross-sectional opportunistic survey (Global Drug Survey) using an online anonymous questionnaire in 11 languages promoted through newspapers, magazines and social media.SubjectsIndividuals (participating November 2014–January 2015) aged 18–34 years, reporting alcohol consumption in the past 12 months and resident in a country providing ≥250 respondents (n=21 countries; 63 725 respondents).Main outcome measuresHarms suffered due to others’ drinking in the past 12 months, feelings of safety on nights out (on the way out, in bars/pubs, in nightclubs and when travelling home) and knowledge of over-serving laws and their implementation.ResultsIn the past 12 months, >40% of respondents suffered at least one aggressive (physical, verbal or sexual assault) harm and 59.5% any harm caused by someone drunk. Suffering each category of harm was higher in younger respondents and those with more harmful alcohol consumption patterns. Men were more likely than women to have suffered physical assault (9.2% vs 4.7; p<0.001), with women much more likely to suffer sexual assault or harassment (15.3% vs 2.5%; p<0.001). Women were more likely to feel unsafe in all nightlife settings, with 40.8% typically feeling unsafe on the way home. In all settings, feeling unsafe increased with experiencing more categories of aggressive harm by a drunk person. Only 25.7% of respondents resident in countries with restrictions on selling alcohol to drunks knew about such laws and 75.8% believed that drunks usually get served alcohol.ConclusionsHarms from others’ drinking are a threat to people's health and well-being. Public health bodies must ensure that such harms are reflected in measures of the societal costs of alcohol, and must advocate for the enforcement of legislation designed to reduce such harms.

Energy drink use frequency among an international sample of people who use drugs: Associations with other substance use and well-being

“…The Global Drug Survey ( Discussion of methods (utility, validity and limitations) has been published elsewhere (Bellis et al, 2015;McCambridge et al, 2007;Winstock et al, 2001;Winstock et al, 2011) …”

Harm from others’ drinking: How problematic do people with and without experience of harm perceive it to be?

“…In an Australian study, 70% were negatively affected by strangers' drinking and 30% by the drinking of someone close to them (Laslett et al, 2011). Moreover, in a study that included respondents from 21 countries, more than 40% had suffered at least one aggressive harm (physical, verbal or sexual assault), and nearly 60% had experienced some type of harm caused by someone drunk (Bellis et al, 2015).…”

“…Alcohol contributes to a range of negative outcomes both for those who drink, and for people in their surroundings (Bellis et al, 2015;Casswell, Harding, You, & Huckle, 2011;Laslett et al, 2011;Moan et al, 2015;Nutt, King, & Phillips, 2010;Rehm et al, 2010;Rehm et al, 2009). The majority of research on harm from alcohol has focused on harm to drinkers, but there has been increased interest also in alcohol's harm to others.…”

“…While some surveys are dedicated to measuring harm from others' drinking (Bellis et al, 2015;Casswell et al, 2011;Laslett et al, 2011;Ramstedt et al, 2016), most include only a few questions on this topic as part of a larger survey that includes a wide range of questions on alcohol or substance use in general (Giesbrecht & West, 1997;Greenfield et al, 2009;Mäkelä et al, 1999). The current study is based on a combination of the two traditions.…”

“…It has been suggested that women experience a greater burden of the harm from others' drinking (Huhtanen & Tigerstedt, 2012;Ramstedt et al, 2016), and that women and men typically experience different types of harm from others' drinking (Bellis et al, 2015). Furthermore, younger persons are at greater risk of experiencing harm from others' drinking than older persons (Bellis et al, 2015;Laslett et al, 2011), and persons not living with a partner are at greater risk of experiencing harm than those who do live with a partner (Moan et al, 2015;Storvoll et al, 2016).…”