British chick lit draws on the real world

As you know, one of my big complaints about British chick lit is that the “heroines” are usually needy alcoholics, something that stands in stark contrast to American chick lit, where the heroines usually live good, clean lives. Turns out that the British writers may just be reflecting the world as they know it:

Female office juniors are almost twice as likely to die from drinking too much than the rest of the population, new figures have revealed.

An analysis of deaths caused by alcohol has uncovered the professions most at risk of drinking themselves into an early grave.

The figures on female officer workers relate to the “classic office junior” working in a male dominated office who does the photocopying, delivering the mail around the office and data entry, the researcher said.

Frank Soodeen, from Alcohol Concern, said: “Women who work can often afford to drink more and, particularly for those working in male-dominated occupations, an existing heavy drinking culture can be an additional risk factor.

“It’s vital for employers to have a workplace alcohol policy in place so staff who show signs of misusing alcohol can access suitable support before their drinking becomes critical.”

Men and women who work around drink such as bar staff, publicans, catering staff are most at risk, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Actresses are 1.8 times as likely to die from alcohol than the general population, followed by women who work as hairdressers who are at 1.4 times the general risk.

I can’t help but feel that this excessive drinking is just one symptom of a secular world characterized by an absence of morals and an inconsolable fear of death (see below).