Alcohol Sales Linked to Neighborhood Violence

May 13, 2008— -- Those living near stores selling alcohol may have an increased risk of being the victim of a violent assault, compared to those who do not,

So suggests a new study in which Canadian researchers report that the risk of being hospitalized from a violent assault increases during periods of higher alcohol sales near the victims' homes.

Researchers at the University of Toronto and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Canada, studied the link between alcohol sales and violent assaults in Canada's largest province, Ontario.

Unlike in the United States, most alcohol in Ontario is sold in government-run liquor stores, and the province is able to track these sales. In addition, Canada keeps detailed computerized medical records of people hospitalized as a result of violent assault.

The researchers identified 3,212 people over the age of 13 who had been hospitalized, because of a serious assault, over a 32-month period. They then looked at the amount of alcohol sold at the liquor store nearest to the victims' homes the day before the assault, as well as a control period a week before the assault occurred.

Researchers found that for every doubling in alcohol sales, the overall risk of being hospitalized for assault increased by 13 percent -- and the risk of assault was 41 percent higher at peak alcohol sale times than when sales were lowest.

A total of 1,150 assaults -- 36 percent of all assaults -- involved the use of a sharp or blunt weapon, and 1,532 -- 48 percent of all assaults -- rose during an unarmed brawl or fight.

According to Dr. Joel Ray, lead study investigator and clinician scientist in the divisions of endocrinology and metabolism and general internal medicine at St. Michael's Hospital University of Toronto, this research points to one common misuse of alcohol, not only in Canada, but worldwide.

"Alcohol is a chemical that almost certainly is commonly purchased, commonly enjoyed, but also commonly misused," said Ray. "One of its misuses is in the context of either someone who is angry or someone who is prone to being in a dangerous situation, and when either perpetrator or victim consumes alcohol, they often place themselves in a violent situation."