ruined property, vandalism and physical aggression. They were more likely to report harm due to a stranger’s alcohol use.
People who were heavy drinkers themselves were most likely to report harm from someone else’s drinking, the study found. Almost half of heavy drinkers said they had been harmed by someone else’s alcohol use. (Heavy drinking is five or more drinks at a time for men and four or more for women, the researchers said.)
Younger people were more apt to have experienced secondhand alcohol harms, the study found.
Karriker-Jaffe said screening for risk factors in primary care settings could be a way to help. “We should make sure people are getting help for alcohol harms to others,” she said.
Dr. Lawrence Brown Jr. is CEO of START Treatment and Recovery Centers in Brooklyn, N.Y. He said it’s
