Findings published in the journal Addiction showed that each 10 percent price hike in the minimum price of beer, liquor and alcoholic beverages led people to drink 3.4 percent less alcohol overall, with consumption of specific types of alcohol falling even more.

Researchers used data between 1989 and 2010 from the Canadian province of British Columbia, where the government sets minimum prices for alcohol and keeps information on its sales. Even after accounting for general economic indicators, they found a strong link between prices and drinking patterns.

"Increases in minimum prices of alcoholic beverages can substantially reduce alcohol consumption," wrote study researcher Tim Stockwell and his colleagues.