Harms from other people's drinking: an international survey of their occurrence, impacts on feeling safe and legislation relating to their control

Abstract<br/>Objective To examine factors associated with suffering harm from another persons alcohol consumption and explore how suffering such harms relate to feelings of safety in nightlife.<br/>Design Cross-sectional opportunistic survey (Global Drug Survey) using an online anonymous questionnaire in 11 languages promoted through newspapers, magazines and social media.<br/>Subjects Individuals (participating November 2014-January 2015) aged 18-34 years, reporting alcohol consumption in the past 12 months and resident in a country providing 250 or more respondents (n=21 countries; 63725 respondents).<br/>Main outcome measures Harms suffered due to others drinking in the past 12 months, feelings of safety on nights out (on the way out, in bars/pubs, in nightclubs and when travelling home) and knowledge of over-serving laws and their implementation.<br/>Conclusions Harms from others drinking are a threat to peoples health and well-being. Public health bodies must ensure that such harms are reflected in measures of the societal costs of alcohol, and must advocate for the enforcement of legislation designed to reduce such harms.