Despite the attempt by the Japanese government to reduce alcohol consumption, reduction of alcohol consumption requires improvement. We explore this issue from the impulsivity perspective and investigate whether a causal relationship exists between impulsivity and drinking behavior. We used data from the Preference Parameter Study of Osaka University to capture respondents' drinking status. Our probit regression showed that procrastination, a proxy measure of impulsivity, was significantly associated with drinking behavior, while hyperbolic discounting, a direct measure of impulsivity, was insignificant. Our findings suggest that impulsive people will discount their health in the future; thus, the government should consider impulsivity in policymaking. For example, awareness programs should focus more on future healthcare costs from alcohol-related problems so that impulsive drinkers can understand how much they may need to spend in the future compared to current satisfaction with alcohol drinking.
Keywords: alcohol; drinking; hyperbolic discounting; impulsivity; procrastination; sign effect.