Working-class professionals deal with high levels of chronic stress and a subsequently high risk of addiction. This comes from the development of poor mental health, like depression or anxiety disorders, as a result of workplace demands or interpersonal conflict. From there, individuals are more likely to develop an addiction by self-medicating with stimulants or other depressants to help them sleep.
How addiction and stress impact professionals is an important area of research because it helps working professionals recognize when they need to reach out for treatment.
Stress for Professionals
According to OSHA, workplace stress is a significant problem.
- Sixty-four percent of workers in the United States characterize their work as causing significant stress.
- Fifty-four percent of Americans say that workplace stress is something that impacts their home life.
- Workplace stress is the cause of one hundred and twenty thousand deaths every year.
The main causes of stress for professionals include things like:
- Their workload
- Interpersonal issues at work
- Trying to balance work and personal life
- Job security
High-performance professionals who work in corporate environments or government positions suffer from chronic stress, including burnout. Over half of these employees struggle with burnout, and one-third of them have very high levels of burnout that threaten their mental health.
Around twenty-six percent of professionals say that stress negatively impacts their energy levels, their motivation, their focus, and their interest. This high level of chronic stress means they don’t work as hard, they aren’t as focused, and they are more susceptible to things like addiction.
How Addiction and Stress Impact Professionals
Learning how addiction and stress impact professionals in different fields is vital to understanding the detriment of both and the importance of getting treatment.
Healthcare
People like healthcare professionals, for example, are up to fifteen percent more likely to develop addiction compared to the general population, a figure that is highest for dentists, followed by pharmacists and nurses.
For healthcare professionals, how addiction and stress impact professionals in this field relates most strongly to opioid and other prescription abuse. Opioid abuse is much more likely among healthcare professionals because of their ready access to medications. When individuals who work in medical fields struggle with opioid addiction or similar prescription drug addiction, it can have life-threatening ramifications for their patients, making it more difficult to stay focused and perform procedures safely.
Attorneys
Thirty-six percent of attorneys have an alcohol abuse disorder. For many, this starts during law school. Fifty percent of attorneys have severe depressive disorders, and another twelve percent have had suicidal ideations.
For attorneys, how addiction and stress impact professionals in this field relates most strongly to depression. Individuals who work as high-functioning attorneys struggle with chronic burnout and mental health disorders, which places them at a high risk of self-medicating. For this reason, there are high levels of alcoholism among attorneys to self-medicate for things like chronic depression.
Pilots
Forty-two percent of pilots, when tested, have controlled drugs, prescription drugs, or opioids in their system at any given time. Twenty-six percent of pilots also report poor mental health, with conditions like depression or anxiety for which they do not get treatment.
For pilots, how addiction and stress impact professionals in this field relates mainly to the safety of flying. Pilots routinely work 12-hour shifts and utilize multiple stimulants to stay focused, but then they have problems sleeping at night, so they use things like sleeping pills and alcohol to relax. This causes them to feel even more exhausted before their next shift, which results in compounding stimulant use.
Much the same as in any other professional field, pilots know that a single mistake can result in significant injuries or death for themselves and for anyone else on board.
Getting Help
Sequoia Recovery Centers offers several levels of care for working professionals dealing with stress and addiction. At our facility, professionals can work through different levels of care going up or down as necessary. Flexible hours through outpatient programs make it possible for working professionals to maintain their license while complying with employee regulated recovery programs or while continuing to work.
Our treatment center offers care for dual diagnosis situations as well, helping working professionals deal with addiction and chronic workplace stress at the same time.
If you are a professional trying to deal with stress and addiction, reach out for help today. There are several programs with flexible hours and the confidentiality that you need to turn life around.
Don’t let stress and addiction ruin your career. Call us today to start your recovery.