Alcohol Linked to Violence

If you close to a liquor store, you have a pretty good chance of being assaulted. So says Canadian researchers.

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.