Alarming Rise in Number of Professionals Turning to Alcohol to Ease Work-Related Stress

The number of professionals turning to alcohol to ease their work related stress has reached alarming levels and experts have urged the British government not to turn a blind eye on what could be a serious problem for the nation. An international conference over the issue was held in Ireland last week and experts identified three common factors pushing professionals towards addiction: stress of city life, the huge demands from work and not enough time spent with loved ones.

The experts said that nearly a quarter (24 percent) of lawyers will get addicted to alcohol sometime in their careers and while the number is comparatively lower among doctors (less than 7 percent), they are three times more likely to suffer from liver cirrhosis compared to the general population.

Rory O’Conner, the UK coordinator of health support programs for dentists and veterinary surgeons, said that the definition of an alcoholic is different from the widely held view. “If you ask the man in the street what an alcoholic is, they'll generally say a down and out, but 96 per cent of people with addictions actually function quite well most of the time. We need to tackle this”, he said.


Source-Medindia