AbstractThis research extends recent studies of the relationship between characteristics of jobs and patterns of workers' alcohol consumption. Working within a ‘generalization perspective ’whereby job conditions are seen as having important effects on the mental health and behaviors of workers in non‐work settings, the current research derives and tests a model of four job‐related factors as they influence three aspects of alcohol use; the simple frequency—quantity of drinking, escapist‐oriented reasons for drinking, and a combination of heavier drinking with escapist‐oriented definitions which is labeled ‘self‐medication’. Analyses of data drawn from the 1973 Quality of Employment Survey (QES) indicate that the relationship between jobs and drinking behavior is more complex than previously conceptualized. Specifically, we find evidence that for working men characteristics of jobs affect levels of alcohol consumption and the incidence of self‐medicating drinking. These findings support and refine job‐based explanations of drinking behavior. The implications of these findings for subsequent research and model‐sp