Does poverty cause alcoholism?

Many well established poverty reduction strategies address the important root causes of poverty. Surprisingly few strategies, however, address one common denominator in the lives of many poor families: problems related to harmful use of alcohol and other drugs. read more

Three papers by professor Diyanath Samarasinghe explore various aspect of alcohol in a development setting. Here he explores the complex connections between alcohol and poverty. read more

Living in poverty, finding it difficult to even buy fruits and vegetables, getting harassed by loan sharks, not even having a decent bathroom to visit, constantly being in bad company etc etc can really make a person turn to drugs or alcohol to tune out the world. read more

One of the most significant risk factors for people who suffer the effects of poverty and substance abuse is access to appropriate health services. For people with adequate money or health insurance, and time available, there are a multitude of private drug and alcohol treatment centers that can be afforded. read more

The impact of alcohol on poverty is more than through just the money spent on it. And the converse influence, of poverty on alcohol, has far more to it than found in the inane explanation that heavy consumption is the result of the harshness of poor lives. read more