Alcoholism Recovery & Treatment

Question by : Why is it that police officers have the highest rate of alcoholism, spousal abuse, suicide, and divorce?
I am considering pursuing a career in law enforcement but after having done a little bit of research and talking to a couple of police officers it seems that law enforcement personnel are plagued with alcoholism, spousal abuse, suicide, and divorce. Supposedly their rates for these four categories are higher than the national average. What can explain for these trends and how stressful and fun is a career in law enforcement.. (I would preferably like responses from current or former police officers but anyone is welcome to answer. Please state whether you are involved in law enforcement)

Best answer:

Answer by Bruce
I have not seen a single statistic to support your claims of alcoholism and abuse. If you have one, please post it.

I have seen a statistic on divorce that puts police at 60%. This may seem high, but the average for the entire US is 55%, so it is only slightly higher. You can probably account the extra 5% simply to working holidays, weekends, and lots of overtime.

Suicide has always been high in the police profession due to the stress, long hours, shift work, high expectations, and the fact they see the worst of society on a daily basis.

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