Young, single men are most likely to drink or recover at work, especially managers, salespeople, restaurant workers and those in the media, according to the findings by the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.
The results, culled from telephone interviews with 2,805 employed adults from January 2002 to June 2003, appear in the current issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
Principal investigator Michael Frone said the national study was meant to help managers develop workplace policies on alcohol use and to invite further exploration of the issue.
"Of all psychoactive substances with the potential to impair cognitive and behavioral performance, alcohol is the most widely used and misused substance in the general population and in the work force," said Frone, research associate professor in the university's Psychology Department.
In the study, employees around the country were asked about workplace alcohol use during the previous 12 months. The sample was designed to reflect the demographics of the U.S. work force from ages 18 to 65, the researchers said. Participants were promised confidentiality.
Seven percent said they had drunk alcohol at least once during a workday. Lunch was the preferred time to drink, said the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Overall, 15 percent of respondents reported being directly affected by alcohol at work - either by drinking on the job or shortly before heading to work or working with a hangover.
