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Malt Liquor Favored By Homeless, Unemployed Drinkers
March 15, 2005

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Research Summary

Malt-liquor drinkers are more likely to be homeless, unemployed, or receiving public assistance than those who drink other alcoholic beverages, according to researchers who studied drinkers in Los Angeles.

Reuters reported March 14 that researchers from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California interviewed 329 drinkers and concluded that malt-liquor drinkers also consumed more alcohol than other drinkers, in part because malt liquor has a higher alcohol content than beer and is sold in larger containers.

"We found that the combination of these differences resulted in the average malt liquor drinker in our study consuming 80 percent more alcohol per drink than the average regular beer drinker," said study leader Ricky Blumenthal.

The study authors said that malt liquor is heavily marketed to black and Hispanic youth. University of Minnesota researcher Rhonda Jones-Webb, who reviewed the study, noted, "Rap artists have been popular images in malt-liquor advertising, and 'gangsta' rap performers portray malt liquor as a sign of masculinity. Advertising influences brand choice, and what young people drink in early years influences what they drink as adults."

Jones-Webb added that rappers suggest chugging the 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor. "The combined effects of higher alcohol content, larger serving size, and faster consumption can result in higher blood-alcohol levels, an increased risk of aggressive behavior, and other alcohol-related problems," she said.

The study appears in the March 2005 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

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