Substance Abuse and Alcoholism runs Rampant in the Work Place
Corporations know that wellness programs can be beneficial. With that said, most of the programs lack the one conversation that is the game changer in a person’s health and the company’s bottom line, and that’s to talk about alcohol abuse and misuse, and the over prescribing of antidepressants and anxiety medication.
It makes no sense to even have corporate wellness programs if they’re not willing or able to address one of main drivers that increase health care costs—alcohol. Alcohol may some day be the new tobacco, but for now, powerful lobbying keeps much of the bad news about alcohol out of the constant news cycles. Make no mistake though, our boozy culture ruins as many lives as smoking, if not more. Non smoking policies are the norm now rather than the trend, but why isn’t there the same fervor to stop or cut back on alcohol consumption?
Corporate wellness programs merely scratch the surface. Sure they tell people to buy Fitbits, count your steps, trot up and down the stairs in lieu of the elevator, lay off the morning donuts and bagels that someone schlepped into the office, and get off your rear-end and use a standing desk—all great advice, but what good will any of that do if the person picks up a bottle of wine every night on their way home from work, or stops at happy hour and slugs back four drinks every night? Corporate wellness programs give people just enough information so people can feel like they’re doing something good for their health, yet, most people don’t make any significant lifestyle changes that have lasting impact.
How come wellness programs don’t talk about all the prescription drugs that are leading people to live half-lived lives and also help escort them into early graves? Doctors, coupled with the constant barrage of pharmaceutical commercials have convinced a whole generation that there is a pill for every uncomfortable feeling one may have. Women and men in their twenties gobble up antidepressants and antipsychotics like candy. The problem is, people still feel depressed and anxious. Most of the anxiety and depression is related to lifestyle and lofty expectations of how some people think their life should look, but doesn’t.
Never Mind Focusing Only On the Opioid Epidemic: Corporate America Has an Alcohol and Prescription Drug Epidemic.
The reason I believe that more corporations haven’t incorporated drug and alcohol abuse conversations and education into their corporate programs is because the people in charge of booking those programs don’t want to hear it either; they want nothing to do with a message that would interfere with their own love affair with wine, or bourbon. As blunt as that sounds, I know it to be true. I am welcomed with open arms when I ask to meet with someone about wellness, but the minute they understand my expertise is recognizing early addiction and how it looks and plays out in the work place and in people’s lives who appear to be functioning well, the whole temperature of the room changes. Why is that? They‘re afraid they may relate too well, and who wants to look at their drinking? Who wants to change their habits? The answer—few, if any care to make the sort of lifestyle changes that would be meaningful because it takes a whole lot of effort and they can’t be bothered. It’s much easier to take a pill.
I can’t say that I’m surprised at the cool response to delve into the real issues, but it seems disingenuous for everyone to be up in arms about the opiate epidemic, when for too many people, their addiction started with alcohol. It’s particularly bad in hospitals—lets focus on those poor souls who are falling apart but we’ll ignore the substance abuse among the medical staff, never mind the wine time beer thirty mentality… I have a job. No issue here.
Any Corporate Wellness Program That Isn’t Serious About Addressing Substance Abuse, Can’t be a Serious Program.
Can a company care about health, but still serve booze liberally at corporate outings? And what do they offer to the anonymous person in the group who might be trying to quit drinking? Have you ever gone to a corporate function where they served a variety of mock-tails and other festive alcohol-free drinks? Probably not because the mindset is geared toward drinking. They might offer up a little cautionary statement to not drink “too much” but that’s about as far as too many companies will go.
Most things in life are full of uncertainty, but I can promise you this. A company full of people who still party like rock stars will not have the productivity of a company that has only moderate drinkers or sober people. I can also assure you that the enormous health costs and lost productivity runs into the billions, and that, is no laughing matter.
Stop Giving Lip Service to Change.
Too many executives are functional alcoholics. There are doctors and nurses at the hospital who are functional alcoholics. Men and women who work in factories use e-cigarettes to smoke pot or burn hash oil while they’re at work. Women and men in offices all over the country are losing their shit, these are the people that cry, holler, kick the trash can and have problems getting along with their coworkers—that sort of behavior screams, “I have no coping skills.” Often, substance abuse resides at the bottom of this behavior, but no one wants to talk about the real problem. Instead, let’s all take the stairs and not eat too many donuts. Give me a break. Isn’t it time that companies jump on board, lose the denial, and start Raising the Bottom?