A new study suggests that in hard economic times, people drink more alcohol. Intuitively, it might make sense, but the findings run counter to most previous research, which shows that alcoholism and other drinking-related problems tend to decline along with the economy.
For the new study, researchers at University of Miami looked at the connections between risky drinking and state unemployment rates in a sample of more than 43,000 people surveyed between 2001 and 2005. That was before the current economic crisis, but because the health of individual states’ economies varied during that time, researchers could make comparisons between them.
The study found that each 1% increase in the state unemployment rate corresponded to a nearly 17% increase in cases of alcoholism or alcohol abuse and a 35% increase in rates of drunk driving.
“We are one of the first to show that, even though incomes decline for most people during an economic downtown, they still increase problematic or risky drinking,” lead author Michael French, director of the Health Economics Research Group at the University of Miami, said in a statement.
MORE: research suggests a complicated relationship between unemployment and alcohol and other drug problems. For example, the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health consistently finds that rates of substance misuse and addiction in unemployed people are nearly twice as high as in those who have jobs. Unemployment is also linked with increased odds of relapse for people with addictions, while employment is linked with recovery.
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Maia Szalavitz is a health writer at TIME.com. Find her on Twitter at @maiasz. You can also continue the discussion on TIME Healthland’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIMEHealthland.
