Study Finds Many U.S. Workers Impaired by AlcoholJanuary 11, 2006
Research Summary
About 15 percent of U.S. workers said they either used alcohol at work or were impaired on the job, according to research from the University of Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions.Researchers interviewed 2,805 adult U.S. workers between January 2002 and June 2003, and asked them about workplace alcohol use and impairment over the previous 12 months. Questions included how often they drank within two hours of reporting to work, drank during the workday, worked under the influence of alcohol, or worked with a hangover.
Lead author Michael R. Frone, Ph.D., and colleagues found that 1.8 percent of the workforce drank alcohol at least once before coming to work, and 7.1 percent drank during the workday -- often during lunch breaks but also during other breaks or while on the job. An estimated 1.7 percent of employees worked under the influence of alcohol, and approximately 9.2 percent had gone to work with a hangover, the authors said.
"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 workforce," Frone said. "The misuse of alcohol by employed adults is an important social policy issue with the potential to undermine employee productivity and safety."
Alcohol use and impairment was more common among men than women, among younger employees, and more prevalent among evening and night shift workers.
The study was reported in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.
Boston University School of Public Health 
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