
Heroin Addiction: Can You Spot the Signs?
Blog No one intends to become addicted to heroin. However, it’s one of the most addictive substances available, meaning it’s extremely difficult to quit once
According to the Occupational Health and Well Being blog on the Magazine Personnel Today website, 9-out-of-10 people admitted to drinking alcohol at least once while working from home. The survey conducted by, Protecting, a health and safety software company, asked 1,300 remote workers about their drinking habits during the pandemic. Their results were startling.
Harvard Business School Professor Jeffrey Polzer was on CBS Sunday Morning in January 2021 and summed up one of the major challenges of working from home. According to Polzer, “The boundary between work and personal life has really, in many cases, become obliterated…maybe you’re sending some personal emails at night, but they’re mixed in with your work emails. And by the way, you’re working from your bedroom and your office and your kitchen.”
It’s this lack of clear definition between “what is work” and “what is home” that has many remote workers mixing drinking with their daily routine. There is not likely beer and wine in your work lunch room, but when going to lunch means walking into the kitchen, the temptation of having a beer or glass of wine can be right in your face.
Another study published on Alcohol.org indicated 29% of homeworkers in MA are regularly drinking during work hours. Breaking it down further, approximately 36% of men and 26% of women in Massachusetts were drinking and working at the same time. The men surveyed were more likely to drink beer, while women tend to prefer cocktails while on the job. A startling 22% of men admitted to drinking straight liquor while working.
As of March 18th, 2021, only 15% of Massachusetts residents (approximately 960K people) have been vaccinated against COVID-19 according to the most recent data. Because of the staggered rollout that favored higher-risk individuals first, only a small fraction of that number are people who would likely be working from home. This means that for many employers, the start of third fiscal quarter in August is the earliest possible time for a return to regular in-person work in an office setting. Even then, as many as 44% of employees in MA will have some sort of hybrid at-home work policy moving forward.
This means that the substance abuse challenges faced by remote employees in Massachusetts will not be going away any time soon.
A study published in 2020 indicated that 21.2% of adults in MA binge drink. That number is only bound to go up as the isolation of working from home both promotes and enables people to drink more than they normally would. Here are a few suggestions from substance abuse and workplace experts on how to avoid drinking while working at home.
When coming to the office every day, it can be easier to spot the signs of a substance abuse problem. You may smell it on their breath, they could be slurring their speech, coming back from lunch late, or taking frequent breaks to sneak off and drink. But for employees working from home, a problem can be significantly easier to hide. Here are a few things that you can do to help your employees who work remotely.
Topsail Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts is a new substance abuse treatment facility in Andover and offers a serene and discrete environment to work through your substance abuse challenges. The caring, compassionate and professional staff offer a variety of substance abuse treatment programs, including Full Day (PHP), Half-day (POP), and weekly (OP) treatments. There is also a Night-Time IOP treatment program that is ideal for working professionals.
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