Alcohol and the Workplace

Alcoholism is one of the most intractable and pervasive psychological disorders known. Though the negative health consequences of alcohol are widely understood, and, if anything, the social consequences of alcoholism are even more widely acknowledged, it seems that no matter what steps are taken by public health officials or private organizations, no strategy can ever be fully developed for eradicating alcoholism. There are a number of reasons why this is true. This paper will explore some of the social and medical problems created by alcohol, but in it I will also consider the role of alcohol in my personal life and the way I have seen the disease play out in the lives of people around me. The paper will also examine the social and political responses to the problem of alcoholism and attempt to determine where productive approaches have been taken and areas where mistakes have been made. Before discussing such wide-ranging questions, it is important to understand what alcoholism is and how it is manifested.

Hospital nursing professionals are faced with many stressful situations in the workplace and at home. Some nurses try to cope with stress by turning to alcohol. In my professional opinion, alcohol should never be used as a coping mechanism. Eventually one or two alcoholics drinks a week turn into daily excessive and uncontrollable use. Impairment at work leads to an inability to critically think and make safe decisions. Alcohol impairment slows reaction time and alters judgement (CDC, 2016). These symptoms lead to a dangerous environment for the patient, other staff members and anyone having contact with the intoxicated nurse (CDC, 2016).

Being under the influence can be a result of many different things, such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs. While doing such things can be fine when an employee is at home, these substances have no business in the workplace. Being under the influence at work can cause accidents, less production, tardiness or absenteeism, poor decision making, theft, and much more (“Drugs”, 2015). Employers can combat these problems by utilizing drug testing programs, establishing anti-drug abuse policies, and establishing an Employee Assistance Program.

The following is a case study of a male employee, drinking beers at work while working on a case study. His behavior addressed by his employer, as a result of his conduct. Even though he appears to be fully functional, his employer was not happy and is concerned about his employee’s wellbeing as well as his industry’s reputation. The employee sees alcohol used among employees during work as an expensive problem for the industry. Drinking alcohol while doing a case study can cause drinking problems for the employee. To illustrate the point, socializing during Christmas parties, happy hours and other work activities are contributing factors that could create an alcohol misuse within the workplace. After all, this employee is drinking while conducting a case study; this can place significant risks for the industry, especially, when the drinking in the workplace is a support by the industry. In this example, it is assumed that the use of alcohol while working is prevalent and this assumption is practical for this employee to do ordinarily during work hours. What can the employer do to address drinking problems at the workplace during work? And is this program operated in-house with a confidential service for all employees? These issues can impact injuries, cause low employee morale, jeopardized the productivity of the industry.

Those factors can include but not limited to financial stress, family stress, work overload, and the human brain capacity. These factors can have an impact on the workplace environment and lead to risks such as: fatal accidents, tardiness, poor decision making, theft, loss of efficiency, engaging in trouble with co-workers or managers, and a higher turnover rate (Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace, 2015). These risks can become very dangerous and cost effective for employers. The reason being is that not only will the employers have to worry about the health concerns of the employee, but also current employees as well who can be at risk to those who abuse. Employers must find ways to help prevent this to affect their work environment and how impact the money flow of the

Past researchers have found a strong correlation between social anxiety and heavy drinking. Those with excessive social anxiety, tend to be vulnerable to the abuse of alcohol (Burke and Stephens,

Social drinking is a common occurrence around America. Whether it is after work or after a football game, white collar or blue,

Keep in mind that alcohol and nicotine are legal substances, but are also considered drugs. Symptoms of substance abuse might include daily need or inebriation while on duty. Sleeping on duty, violence or irrational thinking; this makes them a high-risk employee.

Although many see this as something fun and entertaining, alcohol consumption has many effects on the life of the drinker and those around him/her.

When a company has an end of the year party or Christmas party, I believe the employees should be allowed to consume a few alcohol drinks at the parties. Having a few drinks with other employees at these types of parties can help bond other employees together. During the week in the office, most of the employees at focused on their work and are not able to relax as much and so another side of them. Social bonding at these parties could help improve the work environment. People are able to talk to other employees and get to know them at events like this that they may not be able to do during the workday. Improving the camaraderie amongst employees can only improve the work place. At the same time, I believe the company should still put a limit on the amount of alcohol consumed. It is a way for a company to protect their own image still and also think about the safety of their

Intoxication is the impairment of one’s normal action or reason due to excess consumption of alcohol. Some people can control themselves with drinking alcohol while others so their true colors. While preforming a task or on the job, alcohol should not be involved or even in the premises of the job. The duty should be put fully towards the job and not the consumption of an alcoholic beverage. Being intoxicated on the job is cause for firing because of reckless judgment, inability to protect, and loss of virtue.

Nowadays the exposition to alcohol consumption is becoming very common among adults and teenagers. Alcoholic addiction is developed in social environment such as living around heavy drinkers, people often are tempted to the taste of alcohol which then becomes an addiction. Either it is a party or a celebration, alcohol is most of the times available; however, there are concerns in society, since the consumption of this drug can bring dangerous consequences. An individual’s health is extremely exposed by alcoholic beverages, since they affect several areas of our brain, liver, heart and several other parts of our bodies. Along with health problems, the cognitive control is potentially affected;

Alcohol consumption and abuse as it relates to ‘social drinking’, or drinking copious amounts of alcohol at social gatherings, was the topic of this article. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Laboratory (NIAAA) 43.1 percent of men and 28.8 percent of women 18 and older in the study considered binge drinkers, meaning they consumed four or more drinks in the time span of two hours, within last year. This indicates that many young adults believe they are simply drinking socially, but could over-drinking which can have many adverse short term, and potentially long term, affects. Having immense headaches days after drinking that reduce productivity, and law violations while intoxicated are some examples of how alcohol abuse negatively affects us.

In addition to dinner, the menu included an open bar. What originally started out to be an innocent and business appropriate function turned into a wild free-for-all that lasted into the late hours of the night, and behaviors erupted that should never occur in any business relationship. The following morning, a large percentage of those in attendance at the party were absent from work, and many of those who did show up were tardy and ill, incapable of performing their duties. Productivity was significantly decreased for the entire day, and for some, even into the following day. In light of that single event, the practice of “open bar” social gatherings between the financial office and the dealerships was abolished. It is not surprising to note that according to the United States Office of Personnel Management, the rate of absenteeism is estimated to be 4 to 8 times greater among alcoholics and alcohol abusers (L'Etoile, 2011) .

Ames, G.M.; Grube, J.W.; and Moore, R.S. The relationship of drinking and hangovers to workplace problems: An empirical study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 58(1):37-47, 1997.