Alcoholism linked to 232 million missed work days per year in the US

Alcohol sales shot up during the pandemic. A new study shows that problematic drinking was taking a heavy toll on workplaces even before the pandemic began.

A new study by researchers at Washington University in Saint Louis suggests companies should do more to support workers who are abusing alcohol.

Problematic drinking was tied to 232 million missed days of work annually, according to data collected before the pandemic began. Since then, several surveys have shown that drinking and alcohol-related deaths have increased sharply across all age groups.

The researchers behind the new paper analyzed data collected by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health between 2015 and 2019, from which they zeroed in on two sets of questions, one about missed days of work, whether from illness or injury, or because someone didn’t “feel like being there,” and one about a person’s drinking habits and attempts to drink less.

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