Past studies have asked why poor neighborhoods seem to produce problem drinkers, but new research concludes that heavy drinking often can force a move into disadvantaged areas, HealthDay News reported Aug. 28.

"The more alcohol problems a man has, the more likely he is going to remain in, or migrate into, a disadvantaged neighborhood," according to researchers from the University of Michigan.

Researchers compared a group of 206 white men who had an average age of 33 and a history of alcohol problems with a control group. Tracking the group for 12 years, and controlling for factors like poverty level and antisocial behavior, the authors found that the men with the greatest alcohol problems were more likely to live in or move into a poor neighborhood.

On the other hand, recovering alcoholics were no more likely to live in poor neighborhoods than non-alcoholics. "If you do have problems, and you're able to stick with [recovery], you won't be at any greater risk for this downward drift into bad neighborhoods," observed Ryan Trim, a researcher at the VA San Diego Health Care System.

"Every now and then, a study will come out that confirms something that most of us know intuitively," said Aaron White, a psychiatry assistant professor at Duke University. "The data in this study point to one of the ways that alcohol affects quality of life -- by influencing the type of neighborhood a person lives in."

The study appears in the September 2007 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.