New research has revealed that Australians continue to have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, medication, cigarettes, vapes, and other drugs.
The survey, conducted by The Banyans Healthcare Group in March 2022, discovered that over a third (35%) of Australians believed that stress had taken over all aspects of their life, including their work, and worryingly, people were managing this pressure by drinking alcohol (21%), taking medication (16%), smoking cigarettes or vaping (14%) and using illicit drugs (5%).
And while those who were experiencing alcohol or drug dependency may not have taken these substances in the workplace, the authors found that the impact of hangovers or withdrawal affected not only the person experiencing these symptoms, but their co-workers, managers, and the reputation of the organisation that they worked for.
A recent report looking at addiction-related costs incurred across industries such as the healthcare and justice system, found that the cost of addiction (alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and gambling) to workplace productivity is $17.7billion.
Chief Psychologist at The Banyans Healthcare Group, Mr Peter Hayton, said that the responses, from more than 2,000 people aged 18 and over, showed that many Australians were still self-medicating, rather than seeking professional help and highlighted that in 2016, almost 11.5 million drug and alcohol related sick days were taken.
“We know that stress is one of the leading pressure points in the lives of business owners and executives,” Mr Hayton said.
We also know that stress can become one of the major underlying drivers of alcohol misuse, and as many busy, hardworking business owners attempt to juggle work, family, and social commitments, they may turn to alcohol to ‘take the edge off’.
“It is vital that we normalise employees seeking support with their employer and tailor a healthcare plan specifically to the individual: when employees can get the help they need, they not only return to work healthier and in a better functioning condition, but the company is positively impacted long-term.”
Dr Christian Rowan, a specialist in Addiction Medicine with Banyans, explained that substance use and misuse in the workplace could be extremely difficult to navigate, both for employers and employees.
“We often hear of people using alcohol, drugs, and other substances to self-medicate, which is incredibly dangerous. Using these as a coping mechanism can lead to creating an unhealthy relationship with them which can impact every area of an individual’s life – including work,” Dr Rowan said.
“Navigating such issues in itself can often be confronting and challenging, especially if the person is struggling to come to terms with their own addictive behaviours, or if they are approaching someone else who they think may be experiencing alcohol or substance abuse.”
He said that the first step in tackling substance misuse in the workplace was to identify the signs that someone could be experiencing addiction, which included physical, mental, social, and vocational indicators.
“Physical health signs consist of interrupted sleep, tiredness, sudden weight loss, or a lack of personal hygiene, and increased irritability, mood swings, impaired judgement, and increased levels of anxiety or depression could indicate that their mental health is starting to be effected,” Dr Rowan explained.
“Social signs include more conflict in their relationships, less social interaction and more isolation, and vocationally, being late to or missing work, being late on projects or deadlines, or being unable to concentrate on a task could indicate a problem with addiction.”
The report concluded that while each organisation needs to develop a stance and approach to substance use/misuse that is suited to their context, a proactive approach whereby education and treatment (without stigma) was crucial to enabling successful recovery from addiction.
“Employees need to feel supported to seek appropriate treatment and deal with the underlying issues causing this behaviour,” Mr Hayton said.
“An organisation should also collaborate and gain advice from experts, in addiction medicine for example, when putting together a policy. With the correct medical care therapy, lifestyle changes and psychological education, we truly believe anyone experiencing health conditions like addiction can recover.”