Healthcare Professionals and Addiction - Stress of Helping Others
- Oct 22, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 15
Healthcare professionals are on the front lines, helping people heal, yet they are not immune to their own struggles. The demanding nature of their work, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to increased stress, burnout, and a silent crisis of substance abuse. We’re going to explore the unique challenges they face and how we can better support them.
Why are healthcare professionals at high risk for substance abuse?
Healthcare professionals are exposed to daily trauma, long hours, and high-stress scenarios. This, combined with easy access to controlled substances and a false sense of control over their use, can make them particularly vulnerable to substance abuse.
The constant exposure to trauma, dealing with difficult diagnoses, and the heightened workload since the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed to immense pressure on healthcare professionals. This article delves deeper into how these factors, along with a high-stress environment and access to controlled substances, contribute to the high rates of burnout and substance abuse among these essential workers, highlighting the complex issue of addiction and stress in healthcare professionals.
The Stress of Helping Others Heal
Healthcare professionals and addiction is a current issue in the current COVID world. Healthcare professionals work in an intense, fast-paced environment, and while their professions are celebrated and championed, the stress of their occupation cannot be understated.
Despite the respect garnered from their communities, this pressure can have adverse effects on a healthcare professional’s mental and emotional health, leading to a number of destructive outcomes. Between compassion fatigue, burnout, and pure exhaustion, healthcare professionals are constantly battling stress and are in need of outlets to process the constant barrage of high-stress scenarios, with substance abuse being a common response to these conditions.
Even while helping others heal, substance use disorder and addiction can be prevalent among healthcare professionals, and understanding the trials they face can help destigmatize addiction in this important and strained community.
Understanding the Trials of Healthcare Workers
Healthcare professionals are exposed to traumas on a daily basis. Seeing victims of abuse, car crashes, or acts of violence takes an emotional toll, and witnessing the effects of disease can add to these already tense feelings.
Delivering unfortunate diagnoses and difficult news to patients or families adds another layer of strain. Over time, this constant exposure can desensitize an individual—while still allowing emotional weight to quietly build in the background.
The stress of helping others in these intense circumstances has only grown since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Workloads increased, hours stretched longer, and staffing shortages made it harder for anyone to catch their breath. The high turnover rate among nurses and other healthcare workers reflects the toll this environment continues to take. Burnout is more common than ever, and many are struggling to keep going under the pressure.
Without time off or opportunities to recover, it’s easy to feel trapped. For some, unhealthy coping mechanisms like addictive substances can become an escape, despite knowing the risks. The weight of caring for others can become overwhelming when there’s little room to care for oneself.
Access to Substances and Knowledge
Healthcare professionals also work in close proximity to a wide variety of controlled substances and know the effects they have on an individual. This access to prescription drugs and intense substances can make their use seem like a tempting prospect. Coupled with the widespread availability of alcohol across the country, healthcare professionals have unique access to dangerous substances.
Knowing the side effects of various drugs can falsely empower an individual to feel they are in control of their use or can moderate themselves, creating a dangerous precedent in one’s mind that can quickly lead to a substance use disorder or addiction.
Addressing Substance Abuse in Healthcare Professionals
While difficult, it is important to discuss addiction and substance use among healthcare professionals. Substance abuse and addiction can affect anyone, and nobody is immune to addiction regardless of one’s profession or education. One’s work performance, stress and frustration, mood swings, and work attendance can all be affected by one’s substance use to the detriment of one’s own health, professional status, and the wellness of one’s patients.
The topic of substance abuse is a delicate one, but it is essential to create a sense of solidarity and community to face these tumultuous, stressful times and find alternative coping strategies. For some, this can mean getting together with coworkers and peers to discuss the struggles that these professionals face every day.
Others may want to go in the opposite direction and turn off their phones or limit access to information while not on the clock to distance themselves from the stresses of the workplace. Determining the kinds of boundaries that each individual wants to set is the first step towards creating a healthier balance between workplace stresses and one’s home life.
Community Support for Addiction and Stress in Healthcare Professionals
It can be difficult to articulate how the work environment affects an individual on a personal level. Coupled with the national attention to the coronavirus, as well as the misinformation, doubt, and the birth of new variants therein, the idea that Covid-19 can be overcome can feel like a pipe dream, adding a sense of uncertainty that only increases one’s fatigue.
Communities of peers are essential in sharing this un. Acknowledging the trials that healthcare professionals face is essential in deconstructing the stigmas that surround this championed role in a community.
Supporting healthcare professionals through this worldwide pandemic means not just understanding that they work long hours and in stressful environments but also allowing healthcare professionals to be people with their own needs outside of the workplace for their own mental, physical, and emotional health.
Frequently Ask Questions:
• What is compassion fatigue, and how does it affect healthcare professionals?
Compassion fatigue is the emotional toll that comes from constant exposure to the traumas of others. It can lead to desensitization while emotional weight builds up, making healthcare professionals vulnerable to burnout and other destructive outcomes.
• How did the COVID-19 pandemic increase stress for healthcare workers?
The pandemic increased workloads and extended hours due to staffing shortages. This created an environment where healthcare professionals had little time to recover, leading to a higher turnover rate and more common burnout.
• Why is it important to destigmatize addiction in the healthcare community?
Addressing addiction in this community is important because it affects anyone, regardless of their profession. Destigmatizing it can create a sense of solidarity and encourage healthcare professionals to seek help and find alternative coping strategies.
• How does access to substances and knowledge contribute to addiction among healthcare professionals?
Healthcare professionals have close proximity to controlled substances. This access, combined with their knowledge of drug effects, can create a false sense of control over their use, which can quickly lead to substance use disorder.
• What are some healthy coping mechanisms for healthcare professionals to deal with stress?
Two healthy coping mechanisms include getting together with peers to discuss struggles and setting boundaries by limiting work-related information outside of work hours. These strategies help create a healthier balance between work and home life.
If you or a loved one is a healthcare professional struggling with the immense pressures of the job, we understand the unique challenges you face. At Chateau Health and Wellness Treatment Center, we believe in a compassionate, comprehensive approach to recovery. Our team is here to help you navigate these difficult times, offering a path to healing and renewed well-being. We’re committed to providing the support you need in a safe and understanding environment. Take the first step toward a healthier future. Please call our dedicated team today at (435) 222-5225; we're ready to help.
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About The Author
Ben Pearson, LCSW - Clinical Director
With 19 years of experience, Ben Pearson specializes in adolescent and family therapy, de-escalation, and high-risk interventions. As a former Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient program, he played a key role in clinical interventions and group therapy. With 15+ years in wilderness treatment and over a decade as a clinician, Ben has helped countless individuals and families navigate mental health and recovery challenges.
Danny Warner, CEO of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings a wealth of experience in business operations, strategic alliances, and turnaround management, with prior leadership roles at Mediconnect Global, Klever Marketing, and WO Investing, Inc. A graduate of Brigham Young University in Economics and History, Danny has a proven track record of delivering results across diverse industries. His most transformative role, however, was as a trail walker and counselor for troubled teens at the Anasazi Foundation, where he directly impacted young lives, a personal commitment to transformation that now drives his leadership at Chateau.
Austin Pederson, Executive Director of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings over eight years of experience revolutionizing mental health and substance abuse treatment through compassionate care and innovative business strategies. Inspired by his own recovery journey, Austin has developed impactful programs tailored to individuals facing trauma and stress while fostering comprehensive support systems that prioritize holistic wellness. His empathetic leadership extends to educating and assisting families, ensuring lasting recovery for clients and their loved ones.
