So-called heavy drinking occupations; two empirical tests.

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Abstract
The drinking patterns of men in 2 occupations, military personnel and journalists, that have a reputation for heavy drinking were compared with those of previously surveyed samples of American men and of men in other occupations. USA military aviators (84) aged 30-45 yr and 25 journalists mean age 43 yr in Ottawa, Canada, completed questionnaires on the quantity and frequency of drinking. The aviators drank significantly more frequently than did the men of similar age and education surveyed by Fillmore (80 vs. 65% drank 3 times a week; P < 0.05); the quantity of drinking did not differ significantly (58 vs. 60% drank 3 or more drinks/occasoin). The journalists drank more frequently than did the accountants and professors (6.8 vs. 3.8 and 5.4 drinking occasions/wk; P < 0.01 between journalists and accountants); the quantity of drinking was similar (2.5, 2.3 and 2.4 drinks usually consumed/occasion). Significantly (P < 0.05) more aviators than men of similar age and social class in the national survey of Cahalan et al. were moderate (50 vs. 32%) and heavy drinkers (36 vs. 28%), and more journalists were moderate and heavy drinkers (40 and 31%) than were accountants (36 and 18%) and professors (50 and 13%). The results support Cosper''s proposal that occupational differences in drinking do not indicate differing rates of pathology, but rather reflect nondeviant and socioculturally patterned behavior of an occupational group.

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