The world is constantly striving to be better, faster, and more successful. We can see that in our technological advancements that improve productivity which drive up profits. Driven by money, employers place their employees under chronic stress that could put their mental health at risk. When employees are not provided with healthy alternatives or stress management skills, they can easily turn to unhealthy ways of coping such as smoking, drinking, and drugs. At any workplace, it is important to have resources like stress management education, addiction recovery resources, and drug addiction support.

I value having plenty of work-life balance in my future career because I have struggled to deal with stress under various circumstances that have put my mental health at risk. I am still learning stress management while balancing my daily activities from school to work to my personal life.

Now, what exactly is work-life balance? And what is its relation to workplace addiction?

The Fine Balance Between Work and Life

Work-life balance is an individual’s balance between time for work and time for other aspects of life such as family, friends, personal time, etc. So, unfortunately, I don’t have a rubric for what is a perfect balance between work and life since each individual prioritizes and values things differently. He/she may be in different stages of life and have different economic statuses.  As an individual, it is your responsibility to understand what your own work-life balance is in order to establish healthy habits in your everyday life. It will not only benefit yourself but also those around you, from coworkers to friends to your family members. I have found it interesting to look at the generational differences between my father’s work-life balance and mine.

Although my father is part of Gen X, his work-life balance is similar to that of those in the Baby Boomers generation. It is probably because he experienced many hardships growing up and despite having only a high school degree, he worked his way to the States with my family in tow.  Although family time was important to my father, he worked around 12 hours a day and on weekends because providing for his family was more important. Because he worked so much, he experienced moderate to high levels of stress that did affect the household dynamics. It’s better now, but it’s not unusual that he has been at that company for more than 10 years since, which is very different for millennials like me.

My ideal work-balance in a career is where the stress stays at work and doesn’t come home with me. For me, it is important that I have time for myself for personal reflection as well as time to pursue my hobbies. By participating in activities that give me joy, I then have a way to relieve my daily stress from work, and that is something I highly value on a day-to-day basis. I know that if I work continuously without any breaks or time for leisure, my productivity levels would drop and I would be prone to having more anxiety attacks. New tech companies like LinkedIn and Apple offer great work-life balance when they provide their employees with many health, fitness, nutritional, and networking benefits.

Poor Work-Life Balance Leads to Poor Choices

Poor work-life balance leads to constant stress on a person’s mental state which could lead to mental health issues. When one’s mental state is not stable, they are more likely to not have control over their impulses and become a perfect victim of alcohol and drug abuse.

The food & beverages industry is an industry in which poor work-life balance can be found. It is non-stop physical work and constant communication with people who aren’t necessarily the nicest. Imagine having to constantly deal with entitled customers who are seen as “royalty” and letting them talk down to you while you force a smile back and heed their almost every need, and then be given little to no tips. Let’s add on that you may have a family to support, or you’re taking night classes to finish school, so you’re really working hard and being treated like trash. You’re going to want to relax afterward, but the question is how? Having worked in this industry, I remember going home with a small bottle of wine to drink by myself (in moderation of course). But, I did have coworkers that would go out that same night to the club as a way to cope with the stress. They’ll come to work the next evening still hungover. Another thing that isn’t uncommon is that workers step out for a quick smoke after a super busy and stressful day.

Chronic stress in the workplace that goes unchecked can increase one’s vulnerability to addiction. The Self-Medication Hypothesis (first published in the American Journal of Psychiatry) offers an explanation as to why unchecked chronic stress at work may lead people to alcohol and substance abuse. When people are feeling bad, it’s only natural to want to feel good or get away from the situation that makes them feel bad.

Impacts of Workplace Addiction

Workplace addiction isn’t confined to just the food & beverage industry, it is most likely present everywhere you go. Workplace addiction is harmful and dangerous to both the company and its employees as seen in decreases of profit and increases of occupational injuries and fatalities. It’s hard to work with employees who are often tardy, requesting excessive days, sleeping on the job, making poor decisions due to being hungover, or overly aggressive or defensive. These are some of the effects of workplace addiction, and they serve as signs of addiction to watch out for as employers.

Creating a Healthy Workplace

In order to create a healthy workplace to benefit both the employer and employee, it is important to take time to learn about stress management. Some things you could do to manage your stress are:

• Write down what stresses you out
• Take time for yourself and relax
• Get support if you need it
• Develop healthy responses to stressful circumstances

Employers can do their part by establishing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to address alcohol and drug problems and support recovery for addiction. For employees working remotely, there are also many online addiction recovery resources available.