Alcoholism in the Workplace

Alcoholism in the Workplace

In the United States, 17.6 million people – about one in every 12 adults, abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent. (NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2012) The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as a chronic disease in which your body becomes dependent on alcohol (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010), and indicates that more than 100,000 Americans die annually from alcohol related causes (Johnson) . Aside from the physical problems that alcohol addiction can create, there are frequently emotional and social complications. Alcoholism is a disease that harms not only the alcoholic, but also the co-workers and family of the alcoholic.

Society has given us stereotypical images of the alcoholic. Some of these stereotypes include a homeless person who is drunk every day, usually an old man, who is unable to do well at work or at home. While these stereotypes are not always true, there are some similarities in those who have been affected by this disease (Sarah Benton, 2009). The alcoholic usually has low self-esteem and feels guilty or shameful much of the time. In order to compensate for their feelings of frustration, they often may blame others for their own under achievement, and outwardly appear to strive for perfection in everything that they attempt. Often they act out of impulse, and when they fail, they are filled with self-pity and more frustration.

At some point, nearly everyone will experience something negative in his or her work environment that is directly related to the abuse of alcohol. One personal incident that comes to mind is of an occasion where my employer hosted a gathering to celebrate the accomplishments of several automobile dealers who had reached or surpassed sal...

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