Additional Information

MODERATE DRINKERS FOUND
TO TAKE LESS SICK LEAVE

While it is often believed that drinking to relieve stress might lead to alcohol abuse and taking time off from work, a recent study has found that moderate drinkers under stress were actually less likely to be absent from work than were either abstainers or heavy drinkers.

Based on their study of 471 workers, both blue and white collar, the investigators conclude that "The results suggest that moderate drinking has a buffering effect on the association between stress and sickness absence, and that abstinence is at least as unhealthy as excessive drinking."


Reference:
  • Vasse, R. M., et al. Associations between work stress, alcohol and sickness absence. Addiction, 1998, 93 (2), 231-241.