A professor in the Social Welfare Department of a Catholic University gives the readers of Catholic Peace Weekly some interesting insights into the problems of alcohol addiction.
Orthodoxy is a theory recognized as dominant among various theories or claims. A paradox is a claim opposed to an established theory. The claim that drinking a lot of alcohol causes harm from drinking is an established theory. Most people understand this from their experience.
Contrary to orthodox theory, however, the drinking level among the low-income class is either the same or lower, yet the levels of harm associated with drinking are higher. Drinking harmful effects have been verified in several studies. Studies on this were conducted mainly in Europe. In a study that analyzed data collected from 1700 adults, people with a lower socioeconomic level drank less alcohol than those with a higher income. However, they experienced more harm from drinking.
A study conducted in the UK also compared areas with the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation and those with the lowest levels of deprivation. The levels of alcohol consumption were similar in both areas or lower in areas with higher levels of deprivation, but alcohol-related mortality rates were greater in areas with higher levels of deprivation. The paradox of drinking harmful effects was also confirmed in a study in Korea. It was found that the low-income class experienced more severe harm from drinking than the high-income class, even though they did not drink more.
To express the meaning of the paradox of drinking harms differently, it means that there is a gap between classes in the harm that comes with drinking. Our society is divided into income and health inequality. However, inequality in drinking harmful effects also exists.
Then, why do low-income people experience more drinking harm? This involves various factors. First, limited access to medical services. The low-income class may experience more harm from drinking as they cannot use necessary medical services in a timely manner due to medical expenses or poor working conditions such as overtime and holiday work.
Second, low-income groups are more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors. Smoking is a representative health risk behavior, and the smoking rate is higher in the less-income group than in the high-income group. Individuals who both drink and smoke will experience more health problems than individuals who only consume alcohol or smoke. In addition, it is known that the low-income class has a poor rate of healthy eating habits and does not consume enough nutrients. Diet is one of the risk factors related to death. In summary, low-income people have more health-threatening factors, so they experience more harm from drinking even though they consume relatively less alcohol.
Just as our society strives to eliminate inequality in various areas, the professor hopes people will pay attention to resolving inequality in drinking harms. Employees of hospitals, welfare centers, and self-sufficiency centers located in areas with relatively high socioeconomic levels of deprivation must identify health risk factors along with drinking problems and provide necessary services, and connect these residents with appropriate health and welfare resources.
The government hopes to resolve the inequality experienced by the socio-economically vulnerable, including the low-income class, by first expanding the infrastructure for preventing and solving addiction problems, including the drinking problem of local residents, in socio-economically weak areas.
