Selected medical and social factors and alcohol drinking in Polish seafarers.
Seamen belong to these occupational groups which more than others are exposed to the alcohol dependence. Numerous stressing factors often make them "escape in alcohol drinking". Drinking alcohol at sea is particularly dangerous. Alcohol is the contributing factor in many catastrophes, in "unexplained" disappearance of people from ships, and accidents at work. Due to the peculiar character of the relations among crew members during the voyage, information about alcohol drinking by seamen is fragmentary, little precise, and seldom reported. A group of 450 seafarers directed by the shipowner were examined by the author, to assess whether they were alcohol addicts. Then the groups of the dependent and non-dependent were compared according to the selected medical-social parameters. No distinct connections between alcohol drinking and these factors were revealed, what seem to speak for the thesis that alcohol drinking in seamen is brought about by the specificity of the work at sea alone and with the personality traits.
Nitka
J
J
Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Gdynia.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005398:Fisheries; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009326:Naval Medicine; D009790:Occupations; D011044:Poland; D013997:Time Factors