[Publication] A new paper by Dr. Wakabayashi et al. was published at the BMJ open.

The paper “Is flat rate pricing for unlimited alcohol consumption associated with problematic alcohol consumption patterns?: A cross-sectional study  with The Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey” by Dr. Wakabayashi et al. has been published in the BMJ open.

This paper describes discusses whether users’ flat rates for unlimited drinking system, which is called "all-you-can-drink" is associated with problem drinking. Using cross-sectional data from a national Internet survey in Japan conducted in February 2022, we analyzed the association between users of the all-you-can-drink system in past-year and problem drinking or binge drinking identified Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. The results showed that unlimited drinking users were significantly associated with problem drinking (score of 8 or higher and heavy occasion drinking) compared to non-user of the unlimited drinking system.  The risks of alcohol promotion have been internationally pointed out for the harmful use of alcohol. During COVID-19, fewer people use the all-you-can-drink system. The results suggested the need for further research on the appropriate policy for the all-you-can-drink system to prevent the harmful use of alcohol.

The detail is following；
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079025