Data Shows Holiday Stress Means 27% More Drinking
DETROIT (WWJ) - Newly released data that looks at the drinking patterns of more than 200,000 criminal offenders monitored 24/7 for alcohol consumption shows that even when Big Brother is watching, drinking increases nearly 27 percent between Thanksgiving and January 2.
Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS) has monitored more than 200,000 criminal offenders since 2003 using a technology that tests your perspiration every 30 minutes, 24/7, to ensure clients are abstaining from alcohol.
According to AMS, the rate of daily violations for offenders monitored with their technology jumps a whopping 27 percent during the holiday season.
AMS Chairman and CEO Mike Iiams said the trending highlights how the pressures and the pleasures of the holiday season are difficult for everyone.
"Whether it's your in-laws or the economy or just temptations at the office party, the fact that we see such a statistically significant increase in violations for a group of people who are being tested—and know they are being tested—every 30 minutes for drinking underscores just how difficult an issue this is," Iiams said in a written statement.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that two to three times more people are killed by drunk drivers during the holidays than any other time during the year.
To Iiams, their data trending, which is based on more than 18 million alcohol tests, serves as a cautionary tale for both courts and communities.
"These are the hardcore drinkers who know they're going to get caught and that there will be consequences, and they're still struggling not to drink during the holidays. Imagine what's happening with the ones who know they can get away with it," he said.
Related Story: Managing Addiction During The Holiday Season
