Addictive behaviours could include using substances, gambling, pornography or video gaming. Addictive behaviours at work could result in discipline or job loss.
The information and strategies offered here are intended to help you avoid engaging in addictive behaviours at work.
While valuable information about addiction is available from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, our focus is specifically on coping at work.
If you are in crisis now and are in Canada, please call or text 988
The impact of work stress
Most work necessarily involves some levels of stress. Any of these conditions can contribute to stress at work:
- Little to no control over your tasks
- Long hours
- Fatigue
- Isolation
- Low job satisfaction
- Little supervision or regulation
- Conflict
- Stressful situations outside of work
When you’re stressed, your craving for addictive behaviours is more likely to be triggered. You may find yourself experiencing some of the following:
- Fidgeting
- Being easily agitated or frustrated
- Having physical symptoms such as headaches, shaking, or stomach aches
- Becoming angry or aggressive
- Tiredness
- Sweating
When you’re distracted by cravings, it is very difficult to focus on anything else, including work. There is no quick- fix to manage these cravings – it takes time, commitment, and most often professional help to overcome substance use. Don’t be hard on yourself if you experience cravings. There are many people and options available to help you.
Triggers at work
The first step is to recognize your triggers. These are things that can cause your stress levels to rise that make you want to engage in addictive behaviours. Make a list of the types of triggers that you experience. There are two types of triggers: internal and external.
- Internal triggers are within yourself.
- You might feel a sudden urge to engage in addictive behaviours and not understand why; however, if you stop to think about it, you might have been triggered by a thought, a negative emotion, or a physical sensation such as discomfort.
- External triggers are people, places, things, or times of day when you are conditioned to feel the need to engage in addictive behaviours.
- For example, your boss yells at you about a late deadline, it’s your old 3 pm smoke break time, or your coworkers are talking about drinks after work.
6 coping strategies
Once you know your triggers, you can choose actions that help you cope with your cravings. By having multiple strategies available to you in advance, you’ll be prepared for if and when you’re faced with these cravings at work. Here are some suggestions, but whatever works for you can be part of your approach:
- Avoid. If you know your coworkers make plans on a Friday for happy hour at the local bar, physically distance yourself from that conversation before it happens. Maybe you have coworkers who smoke tobacco or marijuana on their breaks. If so, it might be best to explain to them that you find it triggering to spend time with them during these occasions.
- Remind yourself why you want to fight the craving. Do you have a relationship or personal health reason for becoming healthy? Are you working towards a goal or reward that requires sobriety? You can make yourself a reminder to help you, such as a list in your phone, or a photo of loved ones, a dream holiday, etc.
- Distract yourself. Go for a walk, have a drink of water, get a snack, turn on music, play a game on your phone, or switch to a different room or task if possible. Do whatever you need to do to direct your attention to something other than the craving.
- Talk it out. Do you have a trusted friend at work, or access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counsellor that you can see to talk about your craving? Or is there a friend or someone outside of work that you can call on a break? This can include an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) sponsor or someone in a similar role. You can even talk it out to your self. Tell yourself, “I am not my craving,” “I feel uncomfortable right now but that’s okay.,” or “I’ve gotten through this before and I will again.”
- Wait it out. Cravings pass. If you feel like it’s an option for you, you can also just ride the wave of the craving until it is over. Recognize that what you’re experiencing is normal and temporary, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Breathe and remember that the craving will pass.
- Write it out. In a journal, on a piece of paper or on a device, allow yourself to write out your stream of consciousness. This means that you are writing whatever thoughts are in your head as they come to you. Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation, don’t worry if your thoughts jump around, or even if you write, “I don’t know what to write about.” Just start writing and you may discover the reason for your craving, or you may distract yourself for long enough that it passes. You could also write about other topics, such as why you want to quit or fight the craving and what your life will be like when you do.
There are also things that you can do on a daily basis as an approach to well-being, for example:
- Get outside for a walk and feel the air on your face.
- Practice yoga, boxing, or another form of physical activity that you enjoy.
- Learn how to meditate and visualize.
- Recognize and focus on what you can be grateful for, rather than on what is not ideal.
- Learn how to manage your reactions to stress. Managing stress has many strategies to help.
- Try to avoid being around friends who use, and environments or situations that you find triggering.
- Deal with any self-stigma, shame or guilt that you might still experience.
Potential supports at work
There may come a time when you need extra support to manage your addiction. This is okay. In fact, getting professional support is more likely to help rather than trying to do it on your own.
At work you may have access to:
- Benefits that could include:
- External support services, such as addiction treatment, counsellors, therapy or medications
- Short- or long-term disability coverage and a return-to-work process for when you’re ready
- An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that can provide confidential and free counselling
- Coaching or mentoring services
- Peer support from someone who has experienced addiction
Additional resources
- Addiction, mental illness and work webinar video. Learn from experts in peer support and addiction treatment about how to advocate for support at work.
- Peer supporters. Learn about reaching out for or becoming a peer supporter in the workplace. Peer supporters draw on their life experiences to help those facing similar challenges.
- Tame your self-talk. Learn to make your self-talk more respectful.
- Impairment and addiction response for leaders. Information to help identify the signs of impairment and respond effectively. These strategies can also help accommodate an employee’s return to work after treatment.