By Maria Ahmed
The department of health is publishing research defining nine personality types who are most likely to become among heavy drinkers that cost the NHS in England £2.7bn year. It has not broken down the types by profession, although it would not be hard to guess which might figure highly. Doctors, journalists and politicians spring to mind, but how about social workers? I don't know if anyone has researched this, but I would suspect high stress levels caused by frequent dealings with some of society's most difficult and damaged people could lead some professionals to hit the bottle. Earlier this year it was reported that a social worker tragically died after drinking eight bottles of wine due to stress.
That may be an isolated case, but I once worked in a voluntary organisation where a large number of the workers - including me - drank far too much despite the fact we were working with people who were mainly alcoholics and drug addicts. It was all about de-stressing and letting go of the problems we absorbed from the clients. This fits one of the types defined in the research today: "De-stress drinkers" - who use alcohol to regain control of life and calm down.
Sound familiar? Or are you a "conformist drinker" who wants to belong to a crowd, a "boredom drinker" seeking to alleviate life's monotony, a "depressed drinker" seeking comfort, a "re-bonding drinker" needing the booze to make connections with people close to you, a "community drinker" who boozes in large friendship groups, a "hedonistic drinker" craving stimulation, a "macho drinker," mostly male who want to show off, or a "border dependent" who sees the pub as home from home? The NHS has produced a test for people who are concerned about their drinking, try it here.
Is heavy drinking a problem among social workers? Join the debate on Carespace.
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