DRUG USE LINKED TO CAREERS

YOUNG people who work in manufacturing, building and hairdressing were more
likely to be heavier users of alcohol and drugs than those in other
industries, a report has found. The Latrobe University study found young
workers in these industries were "more likely to drink at harmful levels,
be current smokers and use marijuana and ecstasy".

The report said around 60 per cent of builders and hairdressers indulged in
harmful levels of drinking: more than seven standard drinks in one session
for males and more than five for females.

Marijuana use was highest in the building industry, with 62 per cent of
workers using the drug, followed by hairdressing with 52 per cent and
manufacturing with 38 per cent.

Nearly one in five workers said they used ecstasy, more than 80 per cent of
hairdressers had tried illicit drugs, and those in the building industry
were most likely to be using illicit drugs, with close to 70 per cent of
respondents in the survey.

Tobacco smoking was most prevalent in the hairdressing industry with 71 per
cent of workers, followed by 59 per cent of building workers and 45 per
cent of manufacturing workers.

The study, Sex, Drugs and Drinking, surveyed almost 400 young workers aged
15-25, and revealed one in five males involved in the survey consumed more
than 12 standard drinks every time they drank.

Jo Lindsay, researcher in sex, health and society at Latrobe University,
said there was anecdotal evidence linking the nature of the work and the
culture of the industries to the young workers' behaviour.

"For example, building and manufacturing work is typically associated with
heavy drinking, whereas hairdressing is often associated with a party
culture," she said.