Long hours make people more likely to drink heavily

Work hard, drink hard. People who work more than 48 hours a week drink more heavily and are more likely to develop risky levels of alcohol consumption, the largest ever study of working patterns and alcohol finds.

An analysis of 61 studies from 14 countries, including the US, UK, Australia and Germany, found that those who work longer hours are 11 per cent more likely to be heavy drinkers than people who work a standard week of around 40 hours.

The study is also the first to examine how likely people who start working longer hours are to acquire dangerous drinking habits. By analysing cohort studies, which follow the same people over long periods of time, Marianna Virtanen at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki and her colleagues found that people working 49 to 54 hours a week were 13 per cent more likely to start drinking at "risky" levels. This is defined as 14 drinks a week for women, and 21 drinks a week for men.

A tonic for the masses

"There was some evidence from previous studies that working long hours may be associated with unhealthy lifestyle, such as low physical activity and high alcohol use," says Virtanen. But these studies had never been brought together or combined with a wealth of unpublished data, she says.

Altogether, their analysis took in data from over 330,000 people, and found that a longer working week was associated with heavier drinking regardless of gender, geographical region or socioeconomic group.

The study provides strong backing for the European Union Working Time Directive, which gives European workers the right to work no more than a 48-hour week. But many employees still end up putting in over 50 hours in an effort to earn faster promotions or strive for a living wage through overtime.

Booze may offer a way to unwind. "We think that some people may cope with excess working hours with habits that are unhealthy, such as using alcohol," says Virtanen. "The symptoms they try to alleviate with alcohol may include stress, depression and sleep disturbances."

Journal reference: The BMJ, DOI: 10.1136/bmj.g7772

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

post from sitemap