For many people, working in a high-stress job contributes to having poor mental health symptoms and addiction issues in the long run. Having plenty of work-life balance is important to anyone during their career so they aren’t feeling overworked, highly stressed, and unmotivated. Not having enough work-life balance in the office can lead to potential addictions as employees try to find a way out of their high anxiety and stress. Just watch the movie Wolf of Wall Streetand you will understand what having little work-life balance looks like. While working in Jordan Belfort’s stock brokerage firm, many of his workers including him developed and even encouraged heavy use of marijuana, cocaine, and heroine at times to stay mentally afloat. By the end of the movie, many of his employees seem to go wild and Belfort suffers from an overdose that becomes the last straw for his wife at home.

It’s easy to turn a blind eye to his drug-fueled story as fiction, old school, or even overly dramatized for the theater. Yet, the data from research done now can’t be ignored since statistics are telling us that over 50% of people know business executives who have abused drugs at work.While not every corporate company today is as extreme, many workers are hiding their stress and addiction behind closed doors. Let’s explore how workplace addiction develops and ways addiction treatment for professionals can help their symptoms.

Dealing With Stress

Stress can be a healthy sign that we recognize our responsibilities, upcoming events, and interactions are important. However, dealing with stress in the extreme level is dangerous since it can push people to taking dangerous actions to release their pent up tension. Some things you may have not known about workplace addiction include:

• Signs of addiction in the workplace might be hard to spot. Yet, nearly twenty million workers across the country reported having alcohol-related impairment at work at least once in the past year.In 2016, more than one in twenty-five Americans tested positive for illicit drugs in workplace drug screens as well. Workers are becoming at hiding their workplace addictions as they’re dealing with stress, upcoming deadlines, and possibly a tough boss. The consequences of these positive reports are dangerous, since it negatively impacts their job attendance, performance, increases the risk of job related injuries or fatalities, and sometimes leads to immediate job loss. Most companies enforce a strict zero drug tolerance policy and give employees one second chance before they are let go entirely.
• Beyond the strict enforcement organization’s drug policy and the health of employees, workplace addiction can begin to affect the attitudes and culture of an organization overall. What was once an innocent brand can become tainted with scandal if a worker or an executive who is well known is caught red handed with an intense workplace addiction. It easily weakens workplace relationships, lowers the moral of the workforce overall if news gets out, and decreases trust between all branches of the organization.
• People who show up to work impaired will show weaker signs of mental health over time. They may arrive to work more late over time than before, seem “out of it” or temperamental, look unprofessional, and lack awareness of current projects going on. They may also express anger if other coworkers ask about their whereabouts or why they look so exhausted from the night before. On the flip side, someone who has a high functioning workplace addiction may appear completely fine to the naked eye. They could be dressed well, get their work done, and cover up their inner turmoil was a smile. However, they might be seen longer bathroom breaks than others, disappear during lunch breaks, and tell white lies about their personal life that just don’t add up. If you know a coworker fairly well and start to notice odd behavior, it’s time to start asking questions or report them to a higher up if necessary. While it’s unfair to immediately assume someone has a workplace addiction, it’s better to tell a manager about their absence so awareness can be built about their behavior.
• Accessing an online addiction recovery resource is great for all workers who risk developing a workplace addiction. Informing workers about the symptoms of addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and consequences of drug or alcohol abuse is essential so they aren’t as prone to take part. Research has shown programs addressing alcohol and other drug use in the workplace to be highly effective. It not only contributes to the health and well-being of the employee and organization overall, but it helps organizations build their morale during a time where the addiction epidemic is growing quickly. Managers can point their workers to accessing online addiction recovery resources from the comfort of their own home and even require it as onboarding training. This helps organizational awareness and managers can increase support to staff through employee assistance programs (EAP) if they choose to do so. The long term cost to prevention rate is worth the extra time taken to finish these programs.

Accessing Online Addiction Recovery Resources

If you feel that you face the risk of workplace addiction or know someone who is, find out what the resources are now before it’s too late. Online resources are abundant to help workplace addiction and provide tips for dealing with stress over long periods of time. Work stress may be different from stress caused by other parts of our life, but all kinds can end in havoc to our mind and body if it’s not dealt with properly. Treat your body with kindness and allow yourself to take a break from the hustle of work before you feel like you’re going crazy. You’ll appreciate the time spent reflecting than working and learn more about balance for the better.