Smoking ban has reduced booze consumption

According to a research report from Yale University, the smoking ban in Scotland has reduced alcohol consumption by moderate and heavy drinkers.

The survey, conducted in the US and Scotland, surveyed the drinking habits of 1,000 adults after the smoking ban was introduced . It found that Scots smokers who also enjoyed at least two drinks a day cut back by an average of six drinks a week.

The researchers examined drinking behaviour before and after the ban was introduced. A sample of 525 adults from Scotland made up of 309 smokers and 216 non-smokers was compared with a control group south of the border (534 people of whom 305 were smokers).

According to the study, moderate-drinking smokers in Scotland reduced their alcohol consumption by four drinks a week. Heavy drinking smokers based in Scotland drank on average six fewer drinks in the pub per week.

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