Is My Career Fueling My Addiction?

This article was written and published by Holdfast Recovery

 

How Your Job May Be Causing Your Addiction

Addiction is more often than not caused by underlying issues as people deal with stress and trauma in their daily lives — and one of the biggest sources of stress in a person’s life can be their career. Since different jobs can cause different feelings of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion, it’s important to understand the common fields which are more susceptible to substance abuse.

Finance

The world of finance is extremely fast-paced and puts a lot of pressure on employees to deliver results. Because of this stress and the fact that those in finance often work long hours, they may turn to substances to cope. For example, they may take depressants like alcohol to destress or stimulants like cocaine to combat exhaustion.

Hospitality

Those who work in the restaurant or bar scene are constantly faced with long shifts that stretch into the wee hours of the morning — and they can sometimes resort to drug use to make it through the night. This industry also revolves around alcohol, and, if a person continuously drinks as part of the job, they can slip into addiction.

First Responders

Firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and other first responders spend day after day dealing with extremely high stress and even traumatic situations that can take a toll on their mental health.

As a result, these people may turn to drugs or alcohol to try to cope with trauma or stress. Unfortunately, what starts as a few drinks or some marijuana after work, can quickly spiral into full-blown substance abuse.

Construction

Due to the nature of their jobs, construction workers are at a higher risk of getting injured while working. If they need pain medication after an injury, they may develop an addiction to their medication, especially if they are opioid-based.