Cause or Effect?

Do they drink because they live close to the bar?

Study: People Who Live Close To Bars Drink More Heavily

A new study finds that people who live close to a bar tend to drink more. A group of Finnish researchers collected data from nearly 55,000 participants from 2000 to 2009. The study found that heavy and extreme drinking occurred when people lived about a half-mile away from the bar.

Or do they live close to the bar to drink?

The Boston Globe reports that the chances a person will drink too much jumped to 17 percent living near a bar. Conversely, the farther away a participant was from the bar, the less likely they would be heavy drinkers.

Hmm, yes it makes sense that people who live closer to a bar would find it easier to go drinking.

But then again, people with an inclination to go drinking might factor that into their decision about where to live.