Alcohol’s harm from strangers drinking in Lithuania

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of alcohol’s harm from strangers (AHS) drinking and its association with demographic and alcohol use variables. Method: A representative national survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews with Lithuanian residents aged 18 years and over (n = 1000) in 2014. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were applied. Findings: The most frequent forms were the least severe types of harm: “disturbance of rest at night” (40.7%) and “afraid to meet drunk people on the street” (38.8%). Less frequent form was the most severe harm — “physically injured” (4.3%). The possibility to experience AHS according to the regression analyses is 0.453 times higher for women, 1.373 for urban residents, and 2.205 for excessive drinkers in comparison to moderate drinkers. The possibility of AHS is 11.452 times higher for those who drink “several times a month or more often,” 6.363 “at least once per month,” and 3.473 “less than once per month” in comparison with abstainers. Conclusions: Being women, living in urban areas, and frequent and excessive alcohol use all increase AHS risk. Stricter alcohol regulation and targeted intervention strategies are needed to prevent harmful alcohol use and AHS.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• harm
• prevalence
• strangers

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful for the valuable comments and suggestions by Inger Synnøve Moan on earlier version of this paper presented in KBS Thematic meeting: Alcohol’s Harm to Others – Perceptions, Policies, Approaches, held in Helsinki in 2015. Artūras Tereškinas and other researchers involved in the project “Social Exclusion and Social Participation in Transitional Lithuania” gave moral and organizational support.

Funding

The study was financially supported by the Lithuanian Council of Science and the European Social Fund (VP1-3.1-SMM-07-K).

Additional information

Funding

The study was financially supported by the Lithuanian Council of Science and the European Social Fund (VP1-3.1-SMM-07-K).