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Tattoos, Piercings, and Alcohol Consumption
Author(s) -
Guéguen Nicolas
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01711.x
Subject(s) - alcohol consumption , consumption (sociology) , alcohol , dentistry , medicine , art , chemistry , aesthetics , biochemistry
Objective Previous studies have found a link between body tattoos or piercings and risky behavior. However, these studies only examined survey data but not real behavior. Methods Young men (mean = 20.6 years) and women (mean = 20.2 years) leaving a bar were asked whether they wore tattoos and piercings or not and were requested to breathe into a breathalyzer in order to evaluate their alcohol consumption. Results It was found that participants with piercings and/or tattoos as well as combined piercings and tattoos revealed higher levels of alcohol consumption. Conclusions Piercings and tattoos could serve as signs of alcohol consumption for educators, parents, and physicians.