NCJ Number
196932
Journal
Addiction Volume: 97 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 1037-1040
Editor(s)
Susan Savva
Date Published
August 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Through a time-series analysis, this study attempted to discover to what extent the occurrence of fatal poisonings was related to alcohol sales and festivities connected traditionally with hard drinking habits.
Abstract
In studying the variation of fatal alcohol deaths in time with reference to peaks during festivities characterized by widespread intoxicating drinking and the association between the change in fatal alcohol poisonings and the change in sales of beer, wine, and spirits, this study attempted to discover the occurrence of fatal poisonings and its relationship to alcohol sales and festivities, such as Christmas and May Day in Finland through a time-series analysis. The occurrence of fatal alcohol poisonings was found to peak during the May Day, Midsummer Day, and Christmas celebrations when festivities are popular and attitudes to hard drinking are permissive. This supports the opinion that intoxicating, unrestrained drinking increases the risk of death from alcohol poisoning. The analysis indicated that sales of spirits (pure alcohol) rather than total alcohol sales increased fatal alcohol poisonings. A recommendation was presented to place a special emphasis on spirits in an effort to reduce hard drinking. References