According to the study of more than 6,500 adolescents, 24 percent of the teenagers who worked more than 10 hours said they drank heavily within the past year. On the other hand, fewer than 10 percent of the teens who worked less hours or not at all reported heavy drinking.

"One of the most consistent and troubling discoveries is that the more adolescents work, the more they drink," said lead researcher Mallie Paschall.

Paschall speculated that working more than 10 hours gives teens the added income to purchase alcohol. In addition, work relationships with older teens and adults who drink may lead them to believe that heavy drinking is socially acceptable.

The study's findings are published in the January 2004 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

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