Everyone experiences work stress in their day-to-day life. More people are experiencing mental and physical burnout across all industries than ever before. Medical professionals, in particular, are experiencing increasingly high burnout, fatigue, and mental health issues from work-related stress. By nature, the medical field faces a vast amount of pressure, leaving them susceptible to turning to alcohol and drugs. Nevertheless, individualized treatment can help these medical professionals heal, recover, and continue their work within the medical community.
NorthStar Transitions can offer individualized care to all kinds of working professionals. These individual care plans ensure that client needs are met and address additional concerns, such as co-occurring disorders. Contact NorthStar today if you are a medical professional in need of addiction treatment.
Coping with the struggles of a high-stress career is something many have trouble with. Some people vent to friends and family, partake in recreational activities to blow off steam or have a natural inclination to create a work-life balance. Unfortunately, not everyone can do this. For many, work becomes so stressful it impacts their mental health and physical well-being and leads to burnout.
Individuals with high-stress careers are at a greater risk of developing substance use disorder (SUD). Many individuals manage their work pressures by going out drinking or potentially using drugs recreationally. Drinking, in particular, is a popular pastime, and it is not unlikely for friends to go out to a bar on a Friday night to decompress from the work week. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this. However, substance use without caution is dangerous.
When professionals use substances to cope with work stress, they refrain from using alternatively healthy techniques. This ultimately causes individuals in high-stress positions to use drugs or alcohol more frequently and in higher amounts. Eventually, high-stress workers can not function without substance use, making it challenging to fulfill job responsibilities. Depending on the work, SUD may also put the lives of others at risk.
Again, people in all industries experience work stress, but some jobs are more stressful. Some high-stress careers that may cause individuals to be more vulnerable to developing a SUD include:
But why might these professionals, particularly healthcare workers, be more vulnerable to addiction?
Medical professionals experience a vast amount of stressful and emotional situations while caring for people who are sick or dying. Healthcare working conditions are always challenging, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not help. Some factors that cause health workers to experience mental health or substance use problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), include:
All these stressors make it harder for medical professionals to maintain mental and physical health. This ultimately causes their overall well-being to degrade.
In addition to long hours, stressful situations, and the physical demands of healthcare workers, medical professionals are also short-staffed. Not having enough medical professionals in the field stresses current healthcare workers. This makes SUD a greater risk for professionals struggling to maintain their mental health within the healthcare industry.
So, how are medical professionals supposed to maintain mental health and achieve work-life balance without substance use?
Medical professionals with SUD and co-occurring disorders must seek treatment immediately. However, there are additional ways to achieve work-life balance and prioritize your mental health. Some of those include:
If, however, you are actively struggling with addiction, these methods will only become effective post-treatment.
NorthStar Transitions offers individualized care plans that help the unique needs of medical professionals. That includes treatment for working professionals. Our professionals' treatment program offers many benefits, such as:
Through these programs, you can recover from SUD at your convenience. Our tools help set you up for a lifetime of sobriety and aid as you transition from treatment to day-to-day life. Recovery is possible, but the first step is yours. Consider treatment with NorthStar today.
Everyone struggles to cope with work-related stress at some point in life. However, medical professionals experience a vast amount of stress unique to the healthcare industry. That includes stressful and emotional situations, exposure to human suffering and death, and a number of physical and mental demands that make maintaining well-being a challenge. Because of all these challenges, medical professionals may be more susceptible to developing substance use disorder (SUD). It is not unheard of for individuals to use drugs or alcohol to cope with work stress, but self-medication typically leads to dependency. If you are a medical professional struggling to recover from active addiction, you are not alone. Call NorthStar Transitions at (303) 558-6400 to seek treatment today.
