Starting and growing a business requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice. Business executives have many responsibilities at any given time. There also many things expected of them by society. It’s therefore not surprising that some business executives tend to forget the importance of taking care of their health. Some of them rarely get enough sleep or eat balanced diet meals. Others don’t have time to exercise because they are always checking their emails, answering phone calls, and attending business meetings.
But, spending a lot of time on your job can have negative effects on your health. Some business executives drink alcohol to help them relax and unwind. Unfortunately, what can start as a single glass of wine or cocktail to help you relax can lead to a drinking problem. And before you realize it, you could be battling alcoholism.
Alcoholism in the workplace is a huge financial burden. Collectively, companies spend billions due to alcohol abuse, in terms of absenteeism, health complications, on-the-job injuries and other factors of loss in productivity. When an employee uses alcohol, the fact impacts both individuals and the environment around them, including collegues and supervisors.
According to a recent study, the occupations most affected by alcohol use are bartenders, shoe machine operators, roofers, painters, cooks, sailors, construction laborers, and other workers in the drilling and mining industry, food service employers, the excavation industry, and workplaces related to the installation, repair and maintenance of different kinds of equipment.
How Hard Working and Drinking Are Linked
Business executives and dedicated professionals are among the people calling AddictionResource alcohol help phone numbers seeking assistance with their drinking problem. These helplines have representatives that offer support and assistance to people that want to beat alcoholism. They provide information related to alcohol addiction and they can answer any question related to alcohol consumption. Business executives and professionals that need help to overcome their drinking problem, as well as their loved ones, can call these numbers anytime.
The increase in the number of business executives calling these numbers can be attributed to the link between working hard and drinking. These professionals take their job very seriously. They are continuously striving to do more, learn more, and improve their business performance. This leads to long working hours accompanied by high-stress levels. There are even times when business executives ignore their mental, spiritual, and physical health.
The British Medical Journal recently published a meta-analysis showing a connection between a heavy workload and heavy drinking. This analysis considered 61 studies involving 330,000 people from 14 countries. The researchers established that individuals that work longer hours are 11% more likely to be involved in risky drinking than individuals that work for standard hours.
Additionally, individuals that rack up more workloads are likely to drink more. People working 49 hours and above per week are 12-13% more likely to engage in heavy drinking. The study established that having more than 21 drinks every week for men and more than 14 drinks for women every week constitutes risky drinking. Moderate drinking is defined as having not more than a single drink for women and not more than two drinks for men per day.
Ways to Quit Drinking
Excessive drinking is problematic for many reasons. In addition to the possibility of taking a toll on your health, excessive alcohol consumption can affect how you do business and your overall success. The harsh realities of hangovers and age are just some of the reasons for business executives to fight their drinking problem. Excessive alcohol consumption can make you feel self-conscious when attending business events or meetings and this can affect your performance negatively. As such, you don’t have to wait for the worst to happen to make that call to an alcohol helpline. You can do it the moment you realize that drinking is becoming a problem.
Business executives want to fight their drinking problem anonymously. Some want to fulfill work engagements as they fight their problem with alcohol. Most business executives don’t want people to know that they have a drinking problem because this can affect their businesses and careers negatively. As such, AA is not an ideal option for most business executives.
But, how do you fight a drinking problem anonymously? How do you say no to business associates when they invite you for a drink? Here are some of the ways to quit drinking anonymously.
Set Goals and Stick to them
Understand your reasons to fight your drinking problem and set goals based on what you want to accomplish. Before you make that call to an alcoholic helpline, know why you want to stop drinking. For instance, you may want to quit because alcohol is affecting how you execute your business duties. You may also be suffering the effects of alcohol on your health. Set goals and come up with a plan for achieving them. Make sure that the plan will help you stop drinking for good.
Tapering
Tapering entails reducing alcohol intake gradually. This is possible for business executives with physical dependence on alcohol. Dependence and addiction are different. Individuals with alcohol dependence that is yet to evolve to addiction can successfully fight their drinking problem without rehabilitation.
Cold Turkey Quitting
Cold turkey quitting is simply stopping your use of alcohol abruptly. This is a risky approach to fight a drinking problem because alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening. As such, clinical alcohol withdrawal management is required for some people. However, a business executive that is a social or a casual drinker can quit drinking cold turkey.
Join a Support Group
There are support groups for alcoholics that provide free support and help individuals struggling with a drinking problem. If you have a minor drinking problem or undergone rehabilitation for a severe or moderate alcohol problem, you can join a support group.
Use Smartphone Apps
There are many sobriety apps that you can use to get the inspiration you need to stop drinking. Some of these apps can help you track your alcohol intake and sobriety dates. The purpose of these apps is to inspire and help you stay sober.
Get Support
You can indeed call an alcoholic hotline for support when fighting a drinking problem. However, you may still need support from family members and friends when fighting the problem. Your loved one will encourage you to remain sober. They can even help you identify healthy alternatives to drinking.
The Bottom Line
Anybody with a drinking problem needs support to overcome it. You can get this support by calling an alcohol help hotline number, joining Alcoholics Anonymous, or going to rehab. However, entering rehab or joining AA is not the best alternative for most business executives due to the nature of their work. But, this doesn’t mean that business executives can’t fight their drinking problem. They just need to know and follow different ways to quit drinking anonymously.
In the workplace, employers can both use their influence to discreetly motivate employees to get help for an alcohol problem and offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) as well as educational programs to reduce the issue.