Environmental social control processes decrease excessive alcohol use by regulating access to alcohol and helping to maintain social order through more restrictive social norms and involvement with prosocial institutions (including places of worship) that discourage alcohol use. (Dick and Kendler, 2012, Shanahan and Hofer, 2005) In areas with greater alcohol availability, alcohol consumption is higher (Popova et al., 2009, Scribner et al., 2000), and restricting the number of alcohol outlets in an area reduces alcohol problems (Livingston, Chikritzhs, & Room, 2007). Kendler, Gardner, and Dick (2011) found more pronounced genetic effects on alcohol consumption when access to alcohol was high, and this finding replicates at the area level. Specifically, one study of young adults found heritability of frequent drinking was stronger in areas with higher levels of alcohol availability than in areas without alcohol outlets (Slutske, Deutsch, & Piasecki, 2019), suggesting a lack of social control strengthens expression of genetic predispositions to heavy alcohol use.
