Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Second-Hand Drinking As Bad As Second-Hand Smoke

Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Jul, 2019 08:29 PM

    Just like second-hand smoking, society needs to combat the second-hand effects of drinking as millions of people are suffering alcohol's harm because of someone else's drinking, warn a study led by an Indian-origin scientist.


    An analysis of US national survey data showed that some 21 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men -- an estimated 53 million adults -- experienced harm because of someone else's drinking in the last 12 months.


    These harms could be threats or harassment, ruined property or vandalism, physical aggression, harms related to driving or financial or family problems.


    The most common harm was threats or harassment, reported by 16 per cent of survey respondents, said researchers led by Madhabika B. Nayak of the Alcohol Research Group, a programme of the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California.


    The specific types of harm experienced differed by gender. Women were more likely to report financial and family problems, whereas ruined property, vandalism and physical aggression were more likely to be reported by men.


    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 in a paper published in Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.


    Additional factors, including age and the person's own drinking, were also important.


    People younger than age 25 had a higher risk of experiencing harm from someone else's drinking.


    Further, almost half of men and women who themselves were heavy drinkers said they had been harmed by someone else's drinking.


    Even people who drank but not heavily were at two to three times the risk of harassment, threats and driving-related harm compared with abstainers.


    "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 Nayak.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Vitamin D Deficiency Is Widely Overestimated, Doctors Warn

    Vitamin D Deficiency Is Widely Overestimated, Doctors Warn
    Doctors are warning about vitamin D again, and it's not the "we need more" news you might expect. Instead, they say there's too much needless testing and too many people taking too many pills for a problem that few people truly have.

    Vitamin D Deficiency Is Widely Overestimated, Doctors Warn

    Eating An Egg A Day 'Keeps Stroke At Bay - Slashing Your Risk By 12%'

    Eating An Egg A Day 'Keeps Stroke At Bay - Slashing Your Risk By 12%'
    One large egg boasts six grams of high-quality protein and antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, found within the egg yolk, as well as vitamins E, D, and A, the study said.

    Eating An Egg A Day 'Keeps Stroke At Bay - Slashing Your Risk By 12%'

    Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer? Another Jury Says Yes

    Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer? Another Jury Says Yes
    TRENTON, N.J. — For the third time, Johnson & Johnson has been hit with a multimillion-dollar jury verdict over whether the talc in its iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene.

    Does Baby Powder Cause Cancer? Another Jury Says Yes

    Snow Way! Researchers Say Flurries Could Be Used To Cool Canadian Buildings

    Snow Way! Researchers Say Flurries Could Be Used To Cool Canadian Buildings
    Researchers say Canada's winter bounty of snow could provide an environmentally friendly way of easing hot, muggy summer days.

    Snow Way! Researchers Say Flurries Could Be Used To Cool Canadian Buildings

    Paralyzed Man Feels Touch Through Mind-Controlled Robot Hand

    Paralyzed Man Feels Touch Through Mind-Controlled Robot Hand
      How it works: Tiny chips implanted in Nathan Copeland's brain are bypassing his broken spinal cord, relaying electrical signals that govern movement and sensation to and from that robotic arm.

    Paralyzed Man Feels Touch Through Mind-Controlled Robot Hand

    Study Questions Value Of Mammograms, Breast Cancer Screening

    Study Questions Value Of Mammograms, Breast Cancer Screening
    A new study questions the value of mammograms for breast cancer screening. It concludes that a woman is more likely to be diagnosed with a small tumour that is not destined to grow than she is to have a true problem spotted early.

    Study Questions Value Of Mammograms, Breast Cancer Screening