Worrisome libations: Survey shows workers don't wait till after work to go out for drink
Posted 3/16/2006

By Justin Bachman

(AP) - So, that annual ritual of green excess and beer is at hand this week. On a Friday, no less.

But not everyone waits until after work for a libation, a survey conducted in the United States suggests. More than a fifth of 2,050 workers said they had gone out for a drink during their workday, and 10 per cent said they have a drink at lunch at least once weekly.

Men are more likely to drink than women during work - 30 per cent versus 19 per cent.

IT and government workers ranked highest in the field of St. Pat's Day drinking, with respective amounts of 15 per cent and 10 per cent. Accounting and finance folks led in the category of workers who acknowledge drinking on company time during a regular workday at 29 per cent, followed by 28 per cent of IT workers and 24 per cent of manufacturing workers.

The results are from an e-mailed survey, "Drinks on the Job," of 2,050 workers that was conducted by jobs site CareerBuilder.com between Nov. 15 and Dec. 6, 2005. The company is owned jointly by Gannett Co., Tribune Co., and Knight Ridder Inc., three of the largest newspaper publishers in the U.S.

News from © The Canadian Press

So now I have no excuses. I need something "strong" preferrably in spirit. Don't care what it is as long as it makes this week go away.