Professions With the Highest Rates of Substance Abuse

When people think of people struggling with substance abuse and addiction, they picture someone who is at rock bottom, dirty, and can’t keep a job. However, there are plenty of functional alcoholism and drug addicts who continue having a career and being productive members of society. These individuals are still struggling with substance abuse and drug addiction will always get worse. It is dire to get addiction recovery help as soon as possible to stop substance abuse and mental health disorders from getting worse.

What Professions Have High Rates of Substance Abuse and Addiction

Research has shown that employees within the hospitality and recreation industries, such as food service workers, have the highest rate of drug abuse and addiction among professionals. Exposure to drugs and alcohol in the workplace culture may be to blame, as well as stress and pressure unique to this industry. Past-month illicit drug use among food service workers was as high as 19%. Construction workers and those in the mining industry have the highest rates of alcohol use disorder, also due to the high stress, long hours, and physical labor of the construction industry. There are several other professions who also deal with high levels of addiction and mental health issues, including healthcare workers, arts and entertainment professionals, attorneys, military members, sales professionals, police officers, and firefighters.

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Military Members

More than one in ten veterans have been diagnosed with substance use disorder. They often deal substance abuse and mental health disorders due to traumatic experiences from their time in the military. It is common for co-occurring disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism and drug addiction to be seen together. Because of the stigma surrounding mental health services among military members, many are hesitant to get behavioral health treatment and would rather self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.

Health Care Professionals

Doctors and healthcare workers have about the same substance abuse addiction rates as the general population, however they tend to abuse prescription medications more. They are likely to abuse prescription drugs or illicit drugs as a way to cope with the consequences of stress and emotional and physical pain from their jobs. Anesthesiologists have the highest rates of opioid abuse among healthcare professionals. Male surgeons have the highest rates of tobacco use and female surgeons deal with the highest rates of alcohol abuse.

Lawyers

Attorneys have some of the highest rates of alcohol and drug addiction than any other professional industry. High levels of stress and pressure often lead to mental health issues and instead of getting proper mental health treatment, they self medicate with drugs and alcohol. Just like CEOS and high ranking professionals, they are hesitant to get drug and alcohol addiction treatment out of fear of losing their jobs from missing work or worried about impacting their reputation because of entering a treatment program.

Addiction Treatment for Working Professionals: How Union First Can Help

Union First helps union members and their families find help for substance abuse and mental health disorders while helping to protect their jobs. We offer several services to help you with behavioral health treatment quickly, so you can get back to work. Our case managers will assess your unique situation and match you with addiction treatment programs or mental health treatment centers in your area that fit your needs and are covered by your insurance providers. Our experts are well aware of your federal and state labor laws to protect and advocate for your job, benefits, and position so you can truly focus on your addiction recovery and not worry about missing days.

If you or a family member is struggling with addiction, please give us a call today. Union First will be by your side during the entire road to recovery.