Minneapolis Star Tribune: Violanti discusses cops and drinking

An article on police drinking in the Minneapolis Star Tribune quotes John Violanti, a UB research professor in social and preventive medicine, who said the daily rigors that officers face on the streets are a big reason some of them turn to alcohol. "They use (drinking) as a coping mechanism to deal with work trauma, not just shootings, but the everyday drudgery of dealing with abused kids and human misery," according to Violanti, a former New York state trooper. "It has cultural acceptance: You have to be able to drink to be a good cop. It's a macho thing, a stress reliever." Go to article.