Hospitality has highest alcohol rate, 15 %

WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Hospitality workers have the highest rate of alcohol problems followed by those in construction, wholesale, the professions and retail, U.S. researchers say.

Alcohol problems affect all employers, with an average of 9 percent of U.S. workers drinking in ways that contribute to absenteeism, higher healthcare costs and lost productivity, said the report by Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems at The George Washington University Medical Center.

"Most employees represented in these numbers are not dependent on alcohol," lead researcher Goplerud said in a statement. "But they do use alcohol in ways that lead to short-term safety problems and long-term health consequences."

Men working in hospitality and construction are approximately 50 percent more likely to have an alcohol-related problem than women in the same industry and in wholesale trade, men are nearly three times more likely to have an alcohol problem than women.

In addition, more than 18 percent of young workers between the ages of 18 and 25 have an alcohol-related problem, compared to just 7 percent of workers 26 and older, the report said.

The report is available at http://www.ensuringsolutions.org.