Almost three in 10 chartered accountants feel that they are drinking excessively, according to new research by the Chartered Accountants' Benevolent Association CABA.

Of the 1,090 working, unemployed and retired chartered accountants questioned, 29% agreed with the statement that they "probably drink too much" while 29% also say that they often "reward" themselves with an alcoholic drink at the end of the day.

When asked how often they used alcohol, 13% say that they drink every day while 17% drink 5-6 times a week, 33% drink 2-4 times, 15% drink once a week and 22% drink less often or never.

The NHS recommends that men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day and women should stay below 2-3 units. "Regularly" means drinking this amount every day or most days of the week. A standard 150ml glass of wine typically contains 2.1 units and a pint of 5.2% lager represents around four units.

Wendy Saunders, head of development, CABA, explained: 'These results should be treated with some caution. The question posed to accountants was whether they believed they were drinking too much, not exactly how much they are consuming. It is certainly possible that some of these people who feel they are drinking too much are still within what would be considered 'safe' limits.

'However, we are contacted every year by a handful of chartered accountants who are worried that they have developed an alcohol problem and we provide them with appropriate help where necessary.'

Saunders pointed out that recent research by the Office for National Statistics suggested that 43% of people in professional and managerial roles were drinking above recommended limits at least once a week.

She said: 'Some health experts believe that there is a growing issue with alcohol abuse among the professions and, if any chartered accountant believes that they are developing a problem, they can come to CABA for advice and help.

'It is also worth bearing in mind that even drinking a little above the recommended levels can cause many kinds of problems from increased blood pressure and heart disease to weight gain and on-going fatigue.'

A range of information regarding alcohol is available at the NHS Live Well web site and also from CABA.