Study says high prices don't cut drinking

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- A study of alcohol sales over a 10-year period in Sweden showed raising the prices did not necessarily cut consumption.

The study by the U.S. Prevention Research Center, a group that studies alcohol-involved problems, said sometimes price rises actually led to consumers drinking more as they switched to cheaper brands, reports the BBC.

The findings, reported in the journal Alcoholism, urged that cheaper drinks be targeted for price rises as such actions tended to lower sales.

Paul Gruenewald, author of the study, said as the alcohol market is complex with different prices for different products, it may not help to just raise prices to affect consumption.