How working from home affects alcohol use in Sweden

Remote work increased dramatically during the pandemic and remains more common than before. A key question is whether this change has affected alcohol consumption among those who work remotely. While most employers have an alcohol policy, it’s harder to implement and monitor during remote working conditions.

As a result, alcohol-related problems may develop over a longer period before they become noticeable, potentially requiring more extensive interventions than if issues were identified earlier. This makes it particularly important to study the relationship between remote work and alcohol consumption.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine whether remote work constitutes a risk factor for increased alcohol consumption and binge drinking. The study focuses on how remote workers report that their drinking habits have changed, the direction of these changes, and the reasons behind them. Remote work was defined as work performed within the scope of a person’s occupation, but in a location other than their regular workplace. It often takes place at home, which is why remote work is also commonly referred to as working from home.

The method used in the study

CAN’s Monitor survey was used to study the extent of remote work and its impact on alcohol consumption. The Monitor survey is a continuous population-based study of alcohol use in Sweden covering approximately 18,000 individuals annually. During the first quarter of 2023, the survey was expanded with additional questions about remote work and whether this work arrangement had influenced participants’ drinking habits.

Remote workers were asked: “Do you think your alcohol consumption has been affected by working remotely?”, and response options included: consumption is much higher / somewhat higher / somewhat lower / much lower / consumption has not been affected / do not drink alcohol / don’t know.

Respondents who reported an increase or decrease in their alcohol consumption were then asked to indicate the reason for this change by selecting from a set of predefined options.

Participants were also asked whether their binge drinking – defined as occasions when they consumed the equivalent of a bottle of wine or more – had been affected by remote work.

The specific question posed was: “Do you think the number of occasions when you drink the equivalent of a bottle of wine or more has been affected by working remotely?” The response options were: The number of occasions is much higher / somewhat higher / somewhat lower / much lower / The number of occasions has not been affected / do not drink the equivalent of a bottle of wine or more on a single occasion / don’t know.

Of the 4,293 individuals who participated in the survey, 61 percent (2,600 individuals) were either employed or self-employed. Among these, 28 percent reported working remotely at least half a day per week.

Results

The results presented in the table show that the vast majority of respondents reported no change in their drinking patterns due to remote work, both in terms of overall alcohol consumption (91.5%) and the number of binge- drinking occasions (93.7%). Those who reported an increase in their consumption accounted for 3.4 percent, while the proportion reporting a decrease was 2.2 percent. For binge drinking 1.6 percent reported an increase and 1.2 percent reported a decrease.

Table: Changes in alcohol consumption and the number of binge drinking occasions due to remote work, first quarter of 2023.

* This category also includes those who reported that they do not consume alcohol.

** This category also includes those who reported that they do not drink that much alcohol on a single occasion.

Among those who reported an increase in their alcohol consumption, the most frequently cited   reason was that “alcohol is more readily available at home.” In contrast, respondents who reported a decrease most commonly attributed it to participating less often in after-work events or other work-related occasions where alcohol is typically present.

Conclusions

Remote work has increased significantly since the years before the pandemic.  This study examined whether this work arrangement poses a risk for increased alcohol consumption. The results show that changes in drinking patterns due to remote work were small, both in terms of total alcohol consumption and the number of binge drinking occasions.

Overall, these findings suggest that remote work does not constitute a major risk factor for increased alcohol consumption or binge drinking in the population. However, it is still possible that remote work has had a significant impact on the drinking habits of some individuals. Notably, among those who reduced their alcohol consumption, the most common reason was participating less frequently in work-related social events where alcohol is typically present, such as after-work gatherings – an insight that may be relevant for employers.

The article is written by Björn Trolldal, researcher at CAN, The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs.