Work is a big part of your daily life; you need to make a living. If you love doing your work, the long hours you spend becomes less of a drag and more of a hobby. However, for others, this isn’t always the case. Others that work in stressful fields may rely on things such as food, exercise, alcohol, and even other substances to make sure they are “in the zone,” or to just unwind. Unfortunately, when work gets too stressful, some people tend to depend on these substances to “get through” a workday. This can have disastrous consequences, especially when left unchecked. Below are reasons why you shouldn’t mix drugs and work.
The subject is tricky, particularly in countries that allow a particular degree of usage for both prescription and otherwise illicit drugs. Sometimes, workers tend to rely on particular drugs to “boost” their performance; while others use illicit drugs to make sure they get the “high” right after work, or maybe before their shift. These can have disastrous effects to their mind and body, and can affect the way they perform at work.
Addiction and Work: The Basics
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, it’s not an entirely new occurrence for people to use drugs and alcohol in their daily lives. It’s also not new for some workers to rely on prescription drugs to help them be able to work better, especially if it’s for pain relief, increased reflexes, accuracy, and alertness. Unfortunately, while these substances may have provide some benefits, too much of these substances can pose severe risks not just to the performance of employees, but for the entirety of their work experience as well. In fact, you may notice if you, a fellow employee, or your employees are becoming too dependent on substances if they exhibit the four Cs of addiction;
- Cravings: they experience cravings for the said substance, often without control.
- Compulsion: they feel compelled to expose themselves to the substance.
- Control (or lack thereof): the employee lacks control in their ability to choose the frequency and amount of substances being consumed.
- Consequences: there dire consequences of using these substances are often ignored because of the “high” they provide.
- These four Cs above are signs to look out for if you think you have a substance abuse problem. If you own a business, these are also the same signs to watch out for if you’ve heard of employees using or abusing substances. Below are some more in-depth effects of drugs at work, both for employees and employers.
For Employees: When You Don’t Get To Work
When the topic of substance abuse is put on the table, a lot of the problems that arise most likely involve the health of the people abusing the said substance. However, drugs don’t only affect their physical health: there can yield emotional and mental problems too. These health effects actually have drastic consequences to the performance of drug users at work. If their substance abuse has become too much to handle, this may cost them their livelihoods.
- For instance, anything that can affect a person’s emotional state, perception, and judgment can make an impact on the way they decide on how to deal with things at work. Alertness can become impaired if things such as stress alleviation, relaxation, and comfortability are prioritized through these substances.
- Motor coordination and alertness can be affected by constant usage of these substances, which can drastically make an impact on work performance. Obsessing over these substances can actually preoccupy them at work, affecting their concentration, attention, and productivity.
- Using these substances too much can have after effects that affect a person’s performance at work. Withdrawal, hangover, and illnesses related to substance abuse may foster a culture of absenteeism and reduced productivity.
- Another thing to take note of is if employees are suddenly participating in activities that are related to these substances that are illegal, such as selling drugs to fellow employees.
For Employers: When The Business Fails To Thrive
Unfortunately, the drug problem in employees can extend to the entire company itself. When employees that are abusing substances aren’t handled with care, these can have severe costs to the business they work for.
- As indicated above, employees that have substance abuse problems can affect the chain of production in the company. Sleeping on the job or tardiness can result in a loss of efficiency and poor decision making.
- When one employee doesn’t work well, they can negatively affect other employees. If an employee with a clear substance abuse problem isn’t taken care off, this can lead to a lack of morale. This also means there’s likely to be trouble between managers and employees because of this problem.
- Worst case scenarios include loss of production, violence and harassment in the workplace, a prevalence of absenteeism, and safety concerns such as accidents and fatalities.
Conclusion
There’s a reason why you shouldn’t mix drugs and work, and why it can be a lethal combination when left unmanaged. While it may seem common in other places for drugs to be used, especially for medicine, substance abuse can be a real threat not just to your work but to your health as well. It’s important to understand that while using prescription drugs can be beneficial, proper management and consultation is needed before you use them. Do not underuse or overuse your prescription. If you need more information on the legal aspect of this topic, you may click here.
April Sears
April Sears has been a law writer for more than two decades, and she is currently working on her next piece. She also writes pieces on law topics for the common reader. April is family woman, and she loves spending her free time with her family.
