Extent Of Alcoholism In U.S.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 19

Extent Of Alcoholism In U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association) PALMERSTON NTH. January 28. On an average, 3 per cent of the work force in the United States—some 2m persons—are alcoholics. This ranks alcoholism in the United States as one of the four major health threats, along with cancer, mental illness, and heart disease.

This was said by Mr R. J. Caron, vice-president of the Caron Spinning Company, of Pennsylvania, when he addressed the school on alcoholism at Massey University. Of 80m United States drinkers, 74m found that drinking was no real problem, and 6m found that it had

interfered with their normal living, he said. Wages lost through absenteeism because of problem drinking had been estimated as costing United States industry 2,000,000,000 dollars a year. To make matters worse more than 90 per cent of the alcoholics were aged 35 to 55. “This means that by the time industry has invested considerable money in their training and development, their over-all efficiency begins to fall as their disease progresses to its final stage,” Mr Caron said. Contrary to general belief, most of the alcoholic population of 6.5 m were not the visible “skid-row” type of alcoholic, he said. In fact, 97 per cent of all alcoholics were to be found in the homes, factories, offices, and communities of America. “Some of the most capable workers in American business enterprises are alcoholics,

and forward-looking employers are now doing something to keep them on the pay-roll,” Mr Caron said. He advised businessmen to offer a policy for dealing with all problem drinkers, and said that they should stand behind the programme as established. It had to have the support of the “boss” to be effective, he said, Alcoholism made workers inefficient, slowed production when a team effort was called

for, affected safety, and lowered the morale of workers who associated with alcoholics on the job. Today corporations were recognising the reality of problem drinking as a medical condition which inflicted heavy operational costs on employers, and with this in mind most companies in the United States were ready to meet the problem openly, he said.