Hangovers are 'routine'

Drinking has become so prevalent among high-flying young professionals that many routinely turn up at work with bad hangovers, it was claimed today.

A third of the most successful young people working in media, the law and the City come to work with a hangover twice a week, according to two of their peers.

Old Etonians Harry Briggs and Marcus Waley-Cohen, both 26, polled dozens of their contemporaries to publicise the launch of a herbal hangover cure.

They interviewed a network of high-flying, expensively-educated-young professionals and found, they say, that binge drinking and the hangovers that come with it are a growing problem.

Their findings will confirm the suspicions many bosses have about their young employees' drinking habits, with two-thirds of those asked admitting to taking a 'sickie' as a result of their drinking at least once in the previous month.

Many claim that they are forced into the pub by a macho drinking culture, especially in large banks and consultancy firms.

Mr Briggs, an Oxford University psychology graduate, told the Daily Telegraph: "Some people find it tiresome having to go to the pub so often, but they can't wriggle out of it. It's considered daring to see how much you can drink and still make it to your desk in the morning."

The women polled are keeping pace with their male colleagues and living up to a "ladette" culture, with twice as many reporting hangovers as men.

The poll, carried out over the internet, found that 72 per cent of young professionals describe themselves as ambitious and work longer-than-average hours.

Despite the findings, Mr Briggs said the problems were not as bad as those that accompany drinking in other parts of society. "I don't think there's as much cause for concern as there is about guys getting tanked up on lager and beating each other up outside nightclubs."

But Lee Lixenberg of Alcohol Concern said that alcohol was "not a respecter of class". He added: "Up to 40 million working days are lost each year because of alcohol problems."