Unemployment and Drinking Behaviour: some data from a general population survey of alcohol use

Summary The confusion in the alcohol‐unemployment literature may be partly explained by methodological considerations. A standard instrument for measuring alcohol consumption was used in this study which reports data drawn from a general population study. Results show that unemployed males were particularly likely to binge drink and to report adverse effects from consuming alcohol. It is suggested that (a) the choice of consumption variables may influence the outcome of research in this area, and (b) unemployed men may be exposed to greater risks from drinking alcohol.