Immediate risks of excessive alcohol use (usually binge drinking), according to the CDC, include “violence, including homicide, suicide, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence”.[1] These are frightening correlations for what many consider to be a night of drinking “fun.”
What are the effects of alcohol on violence, DUI and crime? There is a significant correlation between alcohol and drugs on violence and crime in the United States. The NCADD reports that nearly 3 million violent crimes occur each year in relation to alcohol.
According to SoberNation.com,[2] 7 reasons people drink include reasons such as stress, peer pressure, curiosity, and accessibility. With these as motivators, it’s not surprising that alcohol is related to poor decision-making, DUI, and crime.
The NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) finds:
“The use of alcohol and drugs can negatively affect all aspects of a person’s life, impact their family, friends and community, and place an enormous burden on American society. One of the most significant areas of risk with the use of alcohol and drugs is the connection between alcohol, drugs and crime.” [3]
Alcohol is such a high factor in crime that the NCADD also reports, “About 3 million violent crimes occur each year in which victims perceive the offender to have been drinking and statistics related to alcohol use by violent offenders generally show that about half of all homicides and assaults are committed when the offender, victim, or both have been drinking.” [3]
Sources
1. CDC. Center for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
2. https://www.sobernation.com/seven-common-reasons-why-people-drink-alcohol/
3. NCADD. Retrieved on October 5, 2016 via .
4. Greenfield LA. Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime [PDF – 229 KB]. Report prepared for the Assistant Attorney General’s National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 1998.
5. Mohler-Kuo M, Dowdall GW, Koss M, Wechsler H. Correlates of rape while intoxicated in a national sample of college women. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 2004;65(1):37–45.
6. Abbey A. Alcohol-related sexual assault: A common problem among college students. J Stud Alcohol Suppl 2002;14:118–128.
