Addicts often find that their addiction affects their life in many different ways. Home life often suffers because of addiction, as the person who is affected may become self-absorbed and neglect relationships. Spouses and children are typically negatively affected by addiction. Other family members and friends also suffer when a loved one has an addiction. All of these individuals may be dealing with a lot of emotional stress at seeing their loved one succumb to addiction.
How Addiction Affects Work Life
It is not just home life that addiction affects – co-workers may be harmed by a colleague’s addiction as in the workplace, addiction can cause problems on a number of levels.
- Productivity is often the first casualty of addiction in the workplace. Those suffering from addiction may begin to arrive late to work or take some sick days because they are intoxicated or suffering from withdrawal symptoms. When they are at work, addicts may become less productive and, therefore, less effective at performing their required tasks. This can affect business and, if the person is part of a team, it generally falls to the others within that team to pick up the slack.
- Substance abuse causes a person’s judgement to be impaired, and the mental and physical effects of drugs and alcohol can continue even when the person is not under the influence. This means that the individual is at higher risk of having accidents, especially in a job that requires the use of heavy machinery. No matter what job any person has, the risks of accidents are always present; taking drugs or alcohol can increase this risk and put the lives of everyone in danger. Even minor accidents can cause injuries, which can lead to days off work and cost the company money through sick pay and increased insurance costs due to compensation claims.
- Addiction can also affect relationships among co-workers. Those with addiction may be suffering from mental health problems such as paranoia, depression, and psychosis because of their addiction, which can damage interpersonal relationships. There is a certain stigma around addiction, so those affected are unlikely to open up about their problems to those they work with. They may be fearful that they will lose their job if their employer finds out, so they will continue to hide the addiction from those around them. This may make them untrusting and defensive with co-workers, which will inevitably cause problems within the workplace.
Help for Addiction
Addiction is an illness that requires help. If left untreated, it will continue to get worse and may lead to the addict losing their job, family, and even home. Even highly functioning addicts, who continue to go to work every day and provide for their families, need to get treatment.
Many addicts are afraid to get help because of the fear failure or because they are afraid to take time off work to get treatment. However, the truth is that addiction can cause serious health problems, and so it must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Those who have been diagnosed with serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer would not think twice about getting the treatment they needed if there were a chance it could help them live a healthier, longer life. Addiction can be just as dangerous to health, so it is important to give it the same kind of attention.
Accessing Help
Rehab Helper is a free referral service with a team of expert counsellors and advisors working hard to put addicts in touch with the services from which they can get the treatments they need. If you or a loved one requires help for addiction, contact Rehab Helper today.
