More Drinking Opportunities Lead To More Violence

Researchers at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC) and Australia's National Drug Research Institute have discovered that when it comes to the issue of late-night drinking, there is a direct correlation between an increase in drinking hours and an increase in alcohol-related harms such as violence.

These findings reinforce Vancouver city council’s decision earlier this year to vote against allowing licensed restaurants across the city to serve booze to patrons until 1 a.m., seven days a week.

A systematic review of the international literature regarding the public health and safety impacts of changes to bar trading hours identified 49 unique studies but only 14 of these included both baseline and control data against which to evaluate outcomes. The great majority (11) of these better quality studies found significant relationships between an expansion of drinking hours and a shift in the number of negative consequences of drinking e.g. alcohol-related violence and/or road trauma. The researchers concluded that relaxation of bar trading hours, especially in the early hours of the morning, would usually result in increased rates of violence and other alcohol-related problems.

“After examining research reports from all corners of world we conclude that relaxing bar trading hours actually leads to patrons consuming more alcohol and, ultimately, to an increase in alcohol-related violence,” says UVic’s CARBC director and the study’s co-author, Dr. Tim Stockwell. “If the City of Vancouver, or any other Canadian city, wants to keep its crime rate, down late-night drinking hours should not be extended.”

Stockwell will present his research to Vancouver City Council on July 22, 2009.

Provided by University of Victoria