You’ve heard of second-hand smoke, but what about second-hand drinking?

Researchers have discovered that exposure to second-hand alcohol use is associated with harassment and other harms.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., scientists at the Alcohol Research Group and the University of North Dakota surveyed nearly nine-thousand people to assess for the harms of secondary exposure to alcohol.

They asked people about being harassed, feeling afraid, having property vandalized, marriage difficulties and financial trouble, in addition to categorizing every respondent drinking status and family history of alcohol use.

One in five adults experienced at least one of ten 12-month harms because of someone else’s drinking.

The prevalence of specific harm types and characteristics differed by gender. Women were more likely to report harm due to drinking by a spouse/partner or family member, whereas men were more likely to report harm due to a stranger’s drinking.

You can read about the research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.