Breaking the Cycle of Burnout and Substance Use
In today’s working environment, the lines between dedication and burnout have become increasingly blurred. No matter how much we do, it rarely feels enough, yet we keep pushing and chasing that sense of accomplishment. As deadlines, tasks, and personal responsibilities pile up and the pressure to perform intensifies, many professionals find themselves reaching for substances to cope; a quick relief from stress that eventually becomes part of the problem.
The compounding effects from burnout and substance use can lead to long-term consequences including physical and psychological challenges and extended leaves from the workplace. However, physical and psychological challenges don’t have to be the only option. There are a variety of ways to find fulfillment within your work and take care of your wellbeing at the same time.
The connection between burnout and using substances
Burnout is a gradual process, slowly depleting energy, motivation, and wellbeing. The World Health Organization acknowledges burnout as a workplace issue characterized by exhaustion, cynicism toward one’s job, and reduced efficacy. What’s less discussed, but becoming increasingly evident, is the connection between burnout, substance use, and the mental and physical impact of using substances to cope with burnout.
The psychological toll
When workplace burnout sets in, our mental and emotional resources are exhausted, making it challenging to manage and cope with daily stressors. Long hours, the pressure to perform, constant communication and an inability to disconnect from the office can slowly wear down our capacity to function. Decision-making becomes impaired as the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that’s responsible for rational thinking, struggles to regulate impulsive choices. While being in this vulnerable state, substances offer an appealing promise to provide relief from the mental load we’re carrying.
Burnout doesn’t just affect productivity but also impacts our emotional wellbeing. The familiar and persistent sense of falling short, feeling inadequate, or an inability to find meaning in what once felt fulfilling, creates a mental void that substances can temporarily fill.
The physiological impact
Bessel Van der Kolk, a prominent psychiatrist in the field of the impact of stress on the body, wrote it best when he said, “the body keeps the score”. Burnout doesn’t just impact the mind but also leaves a lasting print on the body. Chronic workplace stress triggers an activation of our stress response system. In this process, cortisol increase, disrupting sleep patterns, and weakening the immune system. Between our depleting mental resources, and a consistent activation of the stress response system, we seek a quick relief that feels useful in the short-term but carries long-term consequences.
If you are wondering if you are experiencing the impact of chronic stress, one of the first areas where you might see impact is on your sleep patterns. Sleep deprivation is one of the most obvious signs of burnout. Although we’re sleep deprived, our responsibilities and tasks don’t waver, and as a result we’re more likely to seek stimulants during the day to function and rely on depressants at night to unwind and rest. This vicious cycle, where substances disrupt natural sleep rhythms, leads to poorer quality rest and greater dependence on substances to regulate our natural wake-sleep cycle.
When we don’t feel valued, recognized, or fulfilled at work, we often look elsewhere to meet those psychological needs. The dopamine pathways that once responded to accomplishment, connection, or simple pleasures become disrupted, requiring stronger stimuli, like substances, to produce feelings of pleasure. This shift explains why, overtime, burned-out professionals may increase their substance use. It’s a cycle that makes genuine relief harder to reach, even as the need for it grows.
Work hard play hard
One of the most challenging aspects of addressing substance use is that many workplace environments, subtly and sometimes openly, normalize and even encourage consuming substances. After having celebratory drinks or stimulants to keep up with production, they become part of the norm. This normalization makes it harder for people to recognize when their use has crossed from social to problematic.
Many workplaces foster a culture that celebrates and encourages competition and intensity in all forms. Long hours and high performance are balanced with equally intense social drinking. It’s not uncommon for team building rituals to happen at bars with celebratory drinks or cannabis use as a way to destress from the day.
This culture creates an environment where substance use becomes intertwined with workplace belonging. Turning down the after-work drinks can feel like declining opportunities for advancement. Not participating in social rituals around substances can leave people feeling excluded.
Substance use and remote work
The shift to remote work has introduced new layers of how substance use can show up in professional lives. That glass of wine during the late afternoon Zoom meeting, the edible to manage stress, or stimulants to maintain focus all happen behind closed doors. Without the structure and accountability that in-person offices can bring, some people may find themselves vulnerable to increasing their consumption.
Addressing burnout
Awareness of the problem is the first step in making any change. Rather than simply focusing on the symptoms of burnout, addressing the root causes helps reduce reliance on substances and builds a foundation for optimizing your well-being. Here are some practical strategies that you can implement to break the cycle:
- Recognize the patterns: Honestly reflecting on why and how you use substances is the first step toward meaningful, lasting change.
- Prioritize quality sleep: Sleep is the foundation to building resilience and managing stress. Treat sleep as non-negotiable by establishing a consistent routine.
- Build a healthier coping toolkit: Building a toolkit of sustainable strategies can help strengthen emotional resilience and support long-term wellbeing. Journaling, physical exercise, or playing sports are a few examples of ways to prioritize your needs and destress in healthy ways.
- Set and maintain boundaries: Burnout often stems from constant connectivity within the workplace and the overlap that occurs in your personal life. You can start setting boundaries by clearly defining start and stop times for your workday, silencing notifications after hours, or using your vacation days.
- Live in alignment: Living out of sync with your values can also contribute to burnout. To align with your values, start by clarifying what matters most to you, and make choices that reflect those priorities. Small shifts toward alignment can create more balance and purpose.
- Seek professional support: If you’re struggling with burnout, substance use, or both, reaching out to a therapist or support group for help with connection, community, belonging, and accountability.
To stop normalizing substance use at work, we need to rethink what success actually looks like. Although the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality sounds exciting, it often masks unhealthy habits that eventually lead to burnout.
The pathway to making real changes in the workplace is honesty. Honest conversations with ourselves and each other about the physiological and psychological impacts of substance use and burnout acknowledge what’s happening and creates space to start doing it differently. By setting boundaries, asking for help and finding healthier ways to manage stress, work becomes a place where people can be productive and healthy at the same time.
ALAViDA Substance Use, a product of LifeSpeak Inc., is here to help you change your relationship with substances. The TRAiL is full of helpful tips ready for you to explore. Wherever you are on your journey, we offer a range of support options to help you make meaningful, positive changes. Access this link to explore further.
About the Author:
Brianne is a Certified Canadian Addiction Counsellor, a Registered Professional Counsellor – Candidate, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is a registered member of the Canadian Addiction Counsellor Certification Federation and the Canadian Professional Counselling Association. For over a decade, she has been committed to training and supporting individuals and families within the private and public sector. Brianne brings a unique, holistic approach to understanding and treating substance use behaviors.