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For many years conventional wisdom said that problem drinking would decrease during times of economic hardship. The prevailing opinion was that people with little disposable income would not choose to spend precious dollars on expensive (or inexpensive) alcohol. However, a study conducted within the past 10 years has challenged those previously held notions.

A recently published study appearing in Health Economics says that quite the opposite is true. Along with the high rates of unemployment, high numbers of home foreclosures and high consumer prices, the economy also can be at the root of increases in problem drinking, binge drinking, and drinking and driving.

The research team was led by Michael French PhD, professor of health economics at the University of Miami. The study carefully followed alcohol consumption patterns between the years 2001-2005, meaning the research figures predate the current economic recession.

Rather than see a downturn in drinking which mirrored economic woes as they expected, the team discovered that people responded to financial distress by self-medicating with alcoholic beverages. People who were unemployed or who had less money to spend on recreational activities used their free time to splurge on drinking alcohol.

According to Dr. French, "the self-medicating and leisure time effect are dominating the income effect." Dr. French said that since his team’s findings were reached prior to the onset of the current economic crisis, the situation is likely to be far worse than is reflected in his study.

While the study reported that Americans in general drink more alcohol during difficult financial periods, it also found that young adults aged 18 to 24 and African-Americans were the groups most likely to engage in binge drinking during such times. Of further note, the study reported that education and income were no protection against ill-chosen drinking behavior. The more education a person had received and the greater their personal income, the greater the incidence of problematic alcohol consumption. In addition, a person who continues to be employed through a recessionary period is actually more apt to binge on alcohol and to drive while intoxicated during a poor economy than they would during a strong economic period.

All of this flies in the face of previous opinions about drinking and financial viability. This study reveals that even in the families with a job, cars in the garage and children in private school, anxiety is an issue to be reckoned with. An economic recession can be a source of stress and anxiety for everyone, even those who remain employed and are not experiencing major changes in their lifestyle.

Alcohol abuse is not an effective method for dealing with stress and anxiety, though people may be tempted to try and escape stressful thoughts and situations by drinking. Being aware of the danger and replacing alcohol consumption with healthier coping skills are two ways to avoid the inverted correlation between economic downturns and upsurges in drinking.