Alcohol’s harm to others in Switzerland in the year 2011/2012

ABSTRACT

Background and Aims: Alcohol consumption not only causes harm to the drinker, but also affects other people around the drinker. The prevalence of being affected by others’ drinking was estimated in Switzerland for the year 2011/2012. Methods: Data were collected in the context of the Addiction Monitoring in Switzerland (AMIS). Two thousand four hundred and seventy four subjects participated in computer assisted telephone interviews in a representative survey of the Swiss adult (15+ years) population. Results: In the past 12 months, 52.2% of the Swiss population was affected by others’ drinking in some way. Young adults were affected more often than older persons (p < 0.001) and men were more often affected than women (OR = 0.84; p < 0.05). Compared to abstainers, low risk drinkers (OR = 1.46; p < 0.05), risky single occasion drinkers (RSOD) (OR = 1.95; p < 0.001), and heavy drinkers (OR = 1.88; p < 0.01) were more often affected. The dominant type of harm was harm in public space (like harassment or being afraid because of others’ drinking) which was reported by 45.7% of the sample. Conclusion: More than half of the Swiss population was affected by others’ drinking in at least one way. Alcohol use is associated with psychological and physiological burden for persons other than the drinkers themselves.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• harm to others
• social consequences
• violence

Funding

Data collection was funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.

Declaration of interest

None.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection was funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.