Understanding associations between binge drinking (defined as consuming five or more drinks in a two-hour period in the past month) and occupation is important from economic and public health perspectives.While unadjusted differences in binge drinking by occupation have been reported previously, this study tests these differences after adjusting for important common determinants, using data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).

Findings: Professionals had a binge drinking risk of 16.6%. Before adjustment, workers in several occupational groups had higher risk compared to professionals, including those in installation (15.2 percentage points higher), construction (14.8 percentage points higher), and sales (6.9 percentage points higher), while those without employment had a 6.6 point lower risk. After adjustment, workers employed in installation were 6.7 points, construction 4.8 points, and salespersons 5.3 points more likely to binge drink relative to professionals. No significant adjusted differences in risk between professionals and those without a job were found.