Health Survey (2003/2004–2007), respondents in the most socially deprived regions reported the most binge drinking (Fone et al. 2013). In the present study, we find that alcohol consumption is positively correlated with socio‐economic status but that individuals living in areas of social deprivation in Scotland tend to carry more alcohol dependence risk alleles. This may be one reason that individuals in areas of social deprivation are more likely to develop alcohol use disorders despite consuming less alcohol overall than the rest of the population. A previous study of GS:SFHS found social deprivation to have a significant genetic component (Marioni et al. 2014) and we find that this overlaps with common genetic variation that increases risk for alcohol dependence. While it is clear that social deprivation is a potent environmental risk factor for alcohol dependence, future studies should consider that there may be a genetic component to these exposures that is relevant for alcohol dependence.
