Impact of Alcoholism on Household Financial Well-being: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study in Kerala, India

Abstract

The main aim of this work was to assess the impact of alcoholism on the financial status of families in Kerala, India. The impact was evaluated by comparing alcohol addicts against non-addicts in terms of daily expenditure, problems in house construction, difficulty in purchasing consumer durables, property loss due to the lifestyle, earning–expenditure reconciliation, and debt positions. A cross-sectional study was conducted across Kerala involving 210 individuals with alcohol dependence, identified through a multistage sampling technique. An equal number of non-alcoholic respondents with similar socio-economic backgrounds were selected for comparison to assess differences in household financial status. The data analyzed using quantitative techniques like crosstab, chi-square, and binomial logistic regression. In this study, we observed a direct relation of alcohol addiction with difficulty to meet daily expenditure [Odds Ratio (OR) = 111.67] and with property loss due to Lifestyle (OR = 7.257). Similarly, the paper also revealed a direct association of alcohol addiction with non-reconciliation of expenditure to self-earnings (χ2 = 96.49) and with debt trap of the family (χ2 = 152.03). Thus, alcoholism has led to a negative impact on their financial status compared to the families of non-alcoholics.