Access to Alcohol: Geography and Prevention for Local Communities

Alcohol availability, measured in terms of geographic density of alcohol-sales outlets, is linked to specific patterns of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in communities. To curb alcohol-related problems such as violence, traffic crashes, and drinking and driving, community advocates often focus on reducing alcohol availability through modifications of zoning laws and licensing requirements. In developing interventions and policy activities to reduce alcohol availability, community policymakers should assess the effects of outlet density using an adequate community “biogeography” of the interrelationships among drinkers, their drinking environments, the locations of alcohol outlets, and the locations of alcohol problems. Communities also should consider that the economic development of downtown areas, which is often accompanied by the rapid growth of alcohol outlets, is likely to affect the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-related problems in surrounding areas.