Drinking alcohol while at work

Are you concerned that a past alcoholic addiction could ruin your career? Have you begun craving to start drinking when it reaches the end of the day? Employers have no right to discriminate against anyone who may have suffered from a drinking problem in a past life; however, how alcohol affects your performance at work could lead to potential problems.

Returning to the office entirely after working through the pandemic, employers naturally offer perks to make the office environment more appealing.

Companies have begun adding in extra activities such as:

• Bringing your pet to work
• Causal dress code
• Casual drinks on a Friday

While being given the time to have fun with your co-workers and get to know them a bit more, there is a fine line, especially if you are drinking in the office.

Alcohol use at work

Drinking at work can ultimately cost you your job; however, it doesn’t stop people from doing it. According to a recent study conducted at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) and reported in the current issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol., it had been found that Workplace alcohol use and impairment directly affect an estimated 15 per cent of the U.S. workforce or 19.2 million workers.

Life can become highly stressful; however, the last thing anyone needs is to lose their job due to drinking alcohol. This act will only worsen situations, which can quickly lead to an individual completely spiralling. If you want to sneak an alcoholic drink into the workplace, we advise you to contact your local medical professional for an overall analysis or check yourself into rehab before the situation worsens.

Work-related triggers

There is a chance that the number of stress individuals faces when at work places them at risk of becoming an alcoholic. Workplaces are known to pile on extra projects and daily tasks if you continuously say yes, even when you are already behind on tasks. The long hours, extra projects, and meetings could drive you to want to drink to help ease your anxiety.

Research has shown that people who work 55 or more hours a week are more likely to drink in risky ways. The stress does not stop just because you leave work for the day; life outside of your work furthermore has a variety of stress from:

• Children
• Financial responsibility
• Relationships
• Health issues
• Family issues

The list can easily go on and on, so we understand why individuals may lean to alcohol to take the edge off life’s pressures.

Below we have added some tips that could help avoid work-related triggers:

• Pass up the invitations that will take you into environments that are risky such as happy hours with your co-workers
• When it is lunchtime, get up and step away from your desk. Go for a walk, breathe fresh air, and give a friend or loved one a call. Make sure you take your entire lunch break and leave the office.
• Utilise the gym if you have one, and go before or after work or even during your lunch break if there is time. Get your heartbeat up and burn off that work-related stress
• Do not feel guilty about not going to events that could be a potential risk factor for you. Say you have plans and leave the situation.
• Give it your best at work, but do not feel the need to go overboard. Unfortunately, when individuals are up for promotions, they tend to take on as much as they can for months on end; this results in the entire office expecting the standard of work. Individuals will quickly burn out several times a year.
• Try your best to get into a career where you love your work. Take the required courses after your job to jump into a career where you will naturally thrive.

Getting back to work

If you were let go due to substance abuse, try not to let this allow you to begin spiralling. Take yourself to rehab to work on your development and skill sets. Only once you are recovered and feel mentally ready should you go back to looking for work.

Below we have listed some tips that may help you when it comes to looking for another job:

• Identify if you like the industry you are currently in. If not, change the industry, research into what you would like to work for
• Figure out if you are after a new challenge within your field. If you are looking into training programmes to better your current skill sets or learn more
• Stay positive. You are not the first person to lose your job, and you will not be the last. Keep your mindset positive, and do not punish yourself for what has happened in the past. Understand where things when wrong, and learn from your mistakes.

Take back control of your life

Understanding alcohol withdrawal delirium symptoms associated with long-term alcohol abuse will help you on your road to recovery. The best way to overcome the withdrawal process is to understand what your body and mind may go through. Learning to live without alcohol will never be easy, especially within the first couple of weeks; however, the outcome will always be worth it.