In statistics, controlling for a variable is the attempt to reduce the effect of confounding variables on an observational study. It means that when looking at the effect of one variable, all other variable predictors are held constant.n statistics, controlling for a variable is the attempt to reduce the effect of confounding variables on an observational study. It means that when looking at the effect of one variable, all other variable predictors are held constant.
100,000 people a year die from alcohol abuse in the U.S. each year, 1,000,000 in ten years. 14 million, or one in 13 adults in the U.S. suffer from alcoholism at any given time. 25% of urban hospital beds are taken up by severe damage from the use of alcohol.
Excessive drinkers are also more likely to die in car accidents. The United States aims to cut the rate of alcohol-related driving fatalities to 4 deaths per 100,000 people by 2010, a 32 percent drop from 1998.