Work-life balance is arguably one of the most-needed trends to gain traction in our day. This trend is all about setting boundaries, taking care of ourselves, and being mentally and physically present in our lives and others’ lives, including family, friends, and coworkers. While countless challenges can interrupt this process of work-life balance, alcoholism is certainly high enough on the list to mention. Here’s how alcoholism clashes with work-life balance and what to do about it.
A Societal Issue
Our society is in the business of busyness, so much so that it seems a novel thing for someone to maintain the pattern of a 60-minute lunch break each day. Not only does this highlight that in our day, the word busy is often mistaken to be synonymous with productive, but it also highlights the expectation placed on us. Things are expected to be streamlined more than balanced. But how has this fared for us as a society at large?
For starters, mental health in America is at a low point, meriting the recent creation of a mental health hotline. Meanwhile, alcoholism has proven to be such a prevailing problem that recent attempts are pulling out all the stops, including suggesting that people can use magic mushrooms and other psychedelics to help them come off alcohol. While these might seem like completely different issues, it turns out that work-life balance and alcoholism have some close encounters.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects more than 6 percent of the U.S population. Despite its legal status in America, alcohol is highly addictive, and its effects are much broader than liver disease. As a depressant (CNS), alcohol slows down activity in the central nervous system. This part of the brain is responsible for organ functions, muscle movement, and even a person’s emotional state. Because of this, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can range from high blood pressure, to depression, insomnia, and even hallucinations. When communication between the brain and body is compromised, it can all come crashing down.
Misguided Motivation
But of course, people don’t flock to alcohol use because of these negative effects; they use it because they desire euphoria, relaxation, and its sedative properties. The problem is that alcohol not only changes the way the brain works but also teaches it to associate the effects of alcohol with “reward.” Over time, the body craves alcohol as a reward to be sought after. When the body fails to get that reward, it reacts in various ways. These withdrawal and addiction symptoms show just how much the central nervous system has been compromised.
So how does this relate to work-life balance? In some ways, it’s the chicken and the egg question. We can see how alcoholism can quickly create a work-life imbalance. But we can also see how failing to maintain a work-life balance can create an environment that leads us to run to alcohol in an abusive way. This can quickly turn into a vicious cycle that only results in more severe alcohol abuse and a severe imbalance in work and life.
Sometimes this happens in ways everyone notices; professional and personal relationships begin to fracture, and the body language and personal hygiene of a person with an alcohol problem take a toll. Eventually, their careers, families, or both come crashing down. In other cases, the process is much more gradual. In fact, some develop a pattern of running to alcohol as a coping mechanism to get through the day, and they can live in this revolving door for quite some time before things take a downward spiral. These people are called high-functioning alcoholics.
Bring Back the Balance
The chicken and the egg question is useful in finding out how the process happened for us (either starting with alcoholism or a work-life imbalance). But the important thing to take away is realizing that either situation can be a catalyst for the other. Failing to maintain a work-life imbalance can create a stressful environment that causes millions of people to use alcohol in an abusive way. However, failing to take heed and understand the complex risks associated with using alcohol can quickly spiral our work-life balance out of control, putting us in a revolving door with no clear way out.
If you or someone you love desires to maintain the much-needed work-life balance in our busy society, it’s worth taking a serious look at the dangers of alcoholism. If you find yourself addicted to this substance, use the help medical professionals can provide to get you on a path to full recovery (and back into balance).
About Author
This article was written by Kevin Morris from the Delphi Behavioral Health Group, a dedicated family of facilities committed to offering individualized treatment for all levels of addiction working to treat it at its core to provide those who are struggling with the tools to start a journey of long-lasting recovery.