Redundant Britons turning to the bottle

Posted 10/06/2009

People who have been made redundant are increasingly turning to alcohol, a charity group has warned.

According to figures from Drinkaware, 39 per cent of adults in the UK have either been made redundant in the last six months or know someone who has lost their job in this way.

The charity said this has had a negative impact on their emotional well-being, with many suffering from boredom, anxiety and mood swings.

As a result, many are attempting to relive their stress by consuming larger amounts of alcohol.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, commented: “Losing your job is recognised as one of the top ten most stressful life events, and many are turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism.”

However, he warned that alcohol is a depressant, which means it could make the bad feelings caused by redundancy far worse.

This comes after Citizens’ Advice revealed that it has seen a 114 per cent increase in the number of enquiries relating to job losses during the year to March 2009.