How Burnout and Chronic Stress Can Increase the Risk of Substance Dependency

Many people in the world suffer from chronic burnout. Long work hours, often unrealistic requirements, and short deadlines are just a few reasons why people feel so stressed at work. Although solving the issue is in everyone’s interest, governments haven’t found a way to address it without affecting their respective economies.

The biggest issue regarding burnout is that it not only affects employees’ productivity. It is also detrimental to the quality of life and long-term health. As a result, more and more people are looking for psychiatrists’ help, which, although effective, can only do so much.

Another issue with chronic burnout is that it leads to numerous addictions, including gambling, alcoholism, and substance abuse. In many cases, employees slowly turn to various chemicals and abusive behaviors, not even seeing the abyss in front of them.

Understanding the connection between the two issues helps prevent them. In this article, we’ll go into more detail so you understand the potential risks.

How Does Burnout Affect the Brain? 

Many people consider burnout as nothing more than an extreme form of work-related stress. However, it is much more than that. It represents an extreme psychological and physiological depletion that happens due to stress that has been piling up for months and even years. 

According to the World Health Organization, it is a syndrome characterized by mental distancing from the job, extreme exhaustion, and reduced productivity. The biggest issue is that these problems persist long after you’ve finished your shift, including on weekends and holidays. 

When a person experiences this type of chronic stress, the brain experiences different forms of imbalance:

• The prefrontal cortex, which otherwise regulates decision-making and impulses, isn’t functioning at its optimal level. 
• The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is in charge of producing cortisol, is out of balance, resulting in the hormone’s abnormal levels. 
• The amygdala, which is responsible for fear and threat detection, is now hyperactive. As a result, your body will continuously be in a state of fight or flight.
• The hormone dopamine, which affects the experience of reward and motivation, also decreases in quantity. 

All of this changes how we otherwise behave. People experiencing burnout have trouble controlling their impulses and finding any motivation in work, while perceiving everything as a threat. As a result, a person is constantly looking for relief, often leading to various addictions. 

Substances for Self-Medication

The problem with work-related burnout is that it puts you in a vicious loop. Many people feel trapped in their jobs and believe they need them to survive. Even if they found something similar, they would likely have to put themselves on the path of burnout once again.

So, the only solution they have available is to self-medicate through different substances and compulsive behaviors. In many cases, this isn’t a conscious decision but comes as a result of a physical and mental need. They start drinking or using drugs as a way of relieving stress, and by the time they realize the extent of the issue, they’re already hooked.

While these decisions make sense in isolation, using substances to relieve tension after a single hard day at work, they have a cumulative effect. After turning to vices for relief, your brain slowly adapts and forms a habit. It perceives this kind of behavior as the only way to address the daily burnout.

Some of the most commonly used substances nowadays include different types of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. Most of them create a long-term dependence, requiring that you get in touch with a local rehab, support groups, or an ibogaine treatment center for assistance. 

Why Does Burnout Increase Dependency Risk?

It is important to mention that not every person who experiences work-related stress will become an addict. To reach the stage of burnout, you have to fulfill a few other criteria. In other words, the duration and intensity of stress need to be high so that an individual develops certain psychological features.

There are a few particular things pertaining to burnout that will increase the risk of dependency:

• Depersonalization: A person starts going through the motions, failing to realize the full extent of the issue. These individuals are often detached from their substance abuse, not being able to properly assess the situation. 
• Emotional Exhaustion: Lack of the necessary psychological resources that would allow you to regulate yourself. The issue is often coupled with a hormonal imbalance caused by a poor diet or lack of sleep.
• Social Isolation: A common symptom of extreme burnout, it has a high correlation to depression. Due to limited contact with friends and family, these individuals struggle to regulate their stress.
• Lack of Meaning: Even if a job carries great benefits, a person might feel detached from them. Individuals suffering from extreme burnout begin to experience a lack of meaning in both their professional and private lives.

As the struggles continue, a person will increase the quantity of substances they need for coping with daily realities. Their tolerance will increase, causing higher and higher levels of neurological imbalance. The escalation is incremental, with the substance abuser being the last to notice its severity. 

The Industries at Risk

Not every profession carries the same risk of substance dependency caused by burnout. That said, if you’re working in one of these fields, you should be extra careful when managing your stress:

• Healthcare: Burnout is especially common among surgeons, nurses, and emergency medicine professionals.
• Tech Startups: Overwork is one of the biggest issues in the modern IT industry.
• Legal and Financial Services: Both of these professions are characterized by high-performance pressure. 
• First Responders: Police officers, firefighters, and military personnel are exposed to injuries and trauma.

The common denominator for all these professionals is that they have limited time to recover. For many of them, performance directly correlates to saving people. In other words, they must be on high alert and always available to prevent as many deaths as possible.

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