Alcohol consumption among laid-off workers before and after closure of a Danish ship-yard: a 2-year follow-up study.

The daily consumption of alcohol in a study of a population of Danish ship-yard workers laid off in relation to unexpected closure, was measured in 1976 (7 months before being laid off) and in 1978 (1 1/2 year after being laid off). The study population (N = 88) consisted mostly of skilled male workers. Data in 1976 and 1978 were collected in exactly the same manner. The main findings were that the unemployed workers were more likely to reduce their alcohol consumption than the reemployed workers in the same population-controlling for age. The study brings no evidence which could support the popular belief of a causal relation between unemployed and use of alcohol.