Real Change News | Study: Alcoholics drink less at ‘wet’ housing

January 25, 2012
Vol: 19 No: 4

News

Study: Alcoholics drink less at ‘wet’ housing

by: Aaron Burkhalter , Staff Reporter

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A study shows alcoholics drink less when they move into housing where drinking is allowed.

Susan Collins, a University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center assistant professor, surveyed 95 residents at the 1811 Eastlake project over a two-year period.

Those surveyed decreased their consumption by an average of 8 percent every three months they stayed in housing, cutting their drinking by 35 percent over two years. They also reported more days without using alcohol and fewer symptoms of dependency. Residents stayed in housing longer, too.

The American Journal of Public Health published the findings Jan. 19.

Collins said her findings contradict the “enabling hypothesis,” which maintains that so-called “wet” housing would lead to increased use of alcohol.

“A lot of people dismissed looking at the data because they figured drinking wouldn’t change,” Collins said. “On the contrary, we found decreases in alcohol consumption and related problems.”

Collins said the new study counters the long-held belief alcoholics cannot reliably report on their own drinking habits.

Residents of the 1811 reported their drinking habits accurately, often down to the ounce, she said. Those who had developed a physical dependency on alcohol were more likely to drink a smaller amount.

“A lot of them, their lives depend on getting that dosage right,” Collins said.

The 1811 Eastlake housing project opened in 2005, and this is the second study using it to show the benefits of removing traditional barriers to housing for alcoholics who are chronically homeless.

The previous study, also performed by Collins and other University of Washington researchers, showed that residents of the project required fewer public services, saving taxpayers $4 million in the project’s first year of operation.

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