Long workdays lead to more alcohol consumption

People who work long hours, on average drink more in their free time, says a new research.

The study was published in The British Medical Journal by a group of Finnish researchers, reported NU.nl.

If employees work more than 48 hours a week, they are more likely to exhibit 'risky' drinking behavior. In women, risky drinking is defined as thirteen glasses of alcohol per week, and for men it is about 21 glasses, stated the research.

The scientists got their findings through analysis of 61 studies on alcohol consumption in 14 different countries, including The Netherlands, the United States, Germany and Australia.

The analysis showed that men and women who work 49 to 54 hours per week are 13% more likely to exhibit risky drinking behavior.  

Lead researcher of the study, Marianna Virtanen, suspected that people who work long hours try to suppress the additional stress with alcohol.

"We think that people cope with long working hours in an unhealthy way by drinking a lot of alcohol for example," she explained in the British magazine, New Scientist.

"The symptoms that people try to fight with alcohol could include stress, depression and sleep disorders," said Virtanen.

The scientific analysis is based on data on the drinking behavior of a total of 330,000 people, who were monitored over a long period.