Work stress driving Brits to drink

More than half the nation's workforce feels so tense at the end of their working day they reach for the bottle - a survey has revealed.

In the survey of 3000 employees by leading healthcare cash plan provider Medicash, one in ten Brits admitted to hitting the bottle most days and 53% said that they often needed a drink at the end of the day.

The survey also shed light on those professions that rely most on booze as a way to de-stress. Construction workers were ten times more likely than those working in research and development to need a drink to relax whilst one in five insurance workers said the stress they were under meant they need a drink at the end of most days.

The problem is even more acute in small and medium sized businesses with almost one in three employees admitting to drinking to excess as a result of work pressure. Men were also revealed as twice as likely as women to need a drink at the end of the day.

Sue Weir, chief executive of Medicash said: "Small amounts of alcohol may help you relax, but regularly relying on alcohol to lift your mood after a bad day can lead to long term dependence. Incorporating healthy eating and exercise into your daily routine is one way to break this cycle."

The survey revealed that as a nation we are far more likely to reach for the bottle or slump in front of the TV than hit the gym to help us relax. However those working in research and development set the best example with more than 40% saying they use exercise to aid relaxation, while twenty percent of those working in electronics use meditation to relax compared to only four percent of bankers.

Teachers and those working in health are the most likely to have broken down in tears at work whereas recruitment executives are the most likely to keep a cool head under pressure with 13% claiming never to experience stress.

Sue Weir added: "If you regularly experience stress at work it's important to develop strategies to help you cope. With nearly half of those surveyed claiming that there wasn't anyone at work they could confide in, it's also obvious that many employers would benefit from putting measures in place to look after the emotional health of their employees."