It’s 6:30 PM, and you have finally made it home from work, but your mind apparently didn’t. It’s still back in the chaos of the day, thinking about the meeting that went badly and all of the things waiting for you tomorrow.
You pour yourself a drink, but just one, to take the edge off. Your shoulders relax, and the day doesn’t seem quite so terrible. You can finally stop caring so much about what happened there.
There’s nothing unusual about wanting to unwind after a difficult day. But what happens when that evening drink becomes something you look forward to a little too much? When one becomes two, and two becomes three, and three becomes… more? When you start feeling as though you can’t properly relax without it?
October is Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month, which makes this a good time to think about how our jobs affect us long after we’ve clocked out. We spend an enormous amount of our lives working, and despite our best efforts, the stress doesn’t always stay at the office.
Sometimes it comes home with us, and sometimes the things we do to make ourselves feel better end up making our lives more complicated.
When work stress follows you home
Everyone has bad days at work. There are deadlines, difficult customers or clients, meetings that could have been emails, and coworkers who somehow manage to make even the simplest task more complicated than it needs to be.
However, there’s a difference between having a frustrating Monday and spending months feeling exhausted, anxious, or overwhelmed by your job.
Sometimes it’s the workload. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that’s expected. Sometimes it’s dealing with difficult supervisors, workplace bullying, job insecurity, or the worry of whether their paycheck will stretch far enough.
Workplace stress certainly isn’t limited to people sitting behind desks. Nurses, teachers, construction workers, restaurant employees, and people working irregular shifts have their own pressures.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety identifies excessive workloads, poor workplace relationships, lack of control, and inadequate support among the factors that can contribute to workplace stress.
When these problems go on long enough, people begin carrying them around and taking them home. They have trouble sleeping, and they’re impatient with their families. They spend Sunday afternoon dreading Monday morning, and their days off don’t feel restful.
There’s something especially miserable about being physically away from work while mentally still sitting at your desk. When someone spends enough time feeling overwhelmed, it’s understandable that they might start looking for something that helps them switch off.
We’re here to help.
Contact us today for a no-obligation conversation with one of our professionals.
Why alcohol or drugs can start to feel like a good idea
Alcohol is a convenient way to unwind, partly because it’s everywhere.
A glass of wine while making dinner is normal. A couple of beers after a long shift is also normal. In some places, it’s practically a workplace tradition to get together on Friday evenings for a few drinks.
For someone dealing with ongoing stress, alcohol may seem to offer exactly what they need. Other people turn to cannabis, misuse prescription medications to help them sleep, or use stimulants to get through demanding schedules.
I just need something to help me get through this.
The trouble is that the relief doesn’t last. Alcohol may temporarily help someone relax, but it can also interfere with sleep and contribute to anxiety. With repeated substance use, some people develop tolerance, meaning they need more to experience the same effects.
The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction has highlighted the health risks associated with alcohol, including risks that increase as consumption increases. Of course, someone who’s had a miserable day at work probably isn’t thinking about long-term health consequences while pouring a glass of wine. They’re thinking about getting some relief.
When coping starts to become a problem
People don’t just wake up one morning and decide they’re going to develop a problem with alcohol or drugs. It happens gradually enough that they can explain away the changes.
Maybe you used to drink on weekends, but now you’re having something most evenings. Maybe one glass of wine has turned into half a bottle, and you’re buying more than you used to.
Perhaps you’ve started thinking about that first drink before you’ve even left work. Some people begin making little rules for themselves:
No drinking during the week.
Only two tonight.
I’ll cut back after this stressful project is finished.
Those “rules” may last for a while. Then, they quietly disappear, only to be replaced with a new set the following Monday.
You might also notice that you’re not sleeping well, feeling more anxious, hiding how much you’re drinking, or struggling to enjoy things you once looked forward to.
These signs alone don’t automatically mean someone has a substance use disorder, but they can suggest that their relationship with alcohol or drugs is changing.
We tend to think of addiction as something that eventually causes a person’s entire life to fall apart. But plenty of people recognise that something is wrong long before they lose a job, damage a relationship, or experience a major health crisis.
You don’t have to wait for everything to go terribly wrong before taking your concerns seriously.
But I’m still doing fine at work
One of the more convincing arguments people make when questioning their substance use is that they’re still functioning.
They get up every morning, go to work, meet deadlines, pay bills, and take care of their responsibilities. Some are exceptionally good at their jobs.
Meanwhile, they’re drinking heavily at night or relying on substances to manage their anxiety and exhaustion.
If my drinking were really that bad, wouldn’t it be affecting my work?
Not necessarily.
People can maintain their professional lives while struggling in other areas. Their relationships may be suffering, and they may feel anxious or depressed. They might be dealing with physical symptoms they’ve been ignoring.
Work can also provide a convenient distraction. When you’re constantly busy, you don’t have much time to think about what’s happening in the rest of your life. If you’re successful at work, it’s easy to use that success as evidence that everything else must be fine.
We also need to talk about the workplace itself
October’s Healthy Workplace Month encourages Canadians to think about workplace wellbeing, and it’s important that we talk about what employers can do rather than placing all the responsibility on employees.
There’s certainly no shortage of advice about managing stress.
Exercise regularly. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Practise mindfulness. Take a walk during your lunch break.
All perfectly reasonable suggestions.
However, there’s only so much a person can accomplish with a meditation app when they’re dealing with an impossible workload, a bullying supervisor, or a workplace that expects them to be available every waking hour.
You can take all the deep breaths you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re being asked to do three people’s jobs.
Employers have a responsibility to take workplace stress seriously. That includes paying attention to workloads, providing support, addressing harassment, and making sure employees feel comfortable raising concerns.
It also means recognising that employees may be struggling with mental health or substance use problems that aren’t immediately obvious.
Fear of being judged or losing a job can keep people from asking for help. Confidential support, clear workplace policies, and managers who respond appropriately can make those conversations doable.
Nobody expects work to be wonderful every minute of every day, but people should be able to earn a living without feeling as though their health is the price they’re paying for it.
Finding other ways to cope
If you’ve started relying on alcohol or drugs to manage work stress, it may help to spend some time looking at what’s happening.
And by really looking at it, not just telling yourself you’ll cut back when things settle down.
How often are you drinking or using substances? Has the amount increased? Do you find yourself looking forward to it throughout the day? What happens when you try to go without it?
It may also be worth asking yourself what you’re trying to get away from.
Maybe you’re overwhelmed by your job, and you dread going to work every morning. Then you’re struggling with anxiety that continues long after you’ve come home.
Sometimes changes at work can help. You may need to establish boundaries, talk with your supervisor, use an employee assistance programme, or consider whether your current work situation is sustainable.
Exercise, spending time outdoors, seeing friends, and doing things you genuinely enjoy can help relieve stress, too. This is not to suggest that taking a walk or having a relaxing bath is going to solve a substance use problem. If you’ve developed dependence or find that you can’t control how much you’re drinking or using, you may need professional support.
Treatment can help people understand the role substances have come to play in their lives while also addressing anxiety, depression, trauma, or other concerns that may be contributing to their use.
If you’re drinking heavily or regularly, speak with a healthcare professional before stopping suddenly. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and sometimes requires medical supervision.
Your job shouldn’t take everything out of you
Most of us need to work, and even jobs we enjoy can be stressful. There will always be deadlines, difficult people, unexpected problems, and mornings when we’d rather stay in bed.
But when work leaves you so exhausted or anxious that you need alcohol or drugs to feel comfortable at home, it’s time to examine what’s happening.
Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month reminds us that workplace wellbeing involves more than productivity, employee benefits, or the occasional staff appreciation lunch.
It’s also about what happens to people after they leave work.
Are they able to relax? Spend time with their families? Enjoy their evenings? Or are they spending those hours trying to recover from the day they’ve just survived?
Think back to that drink at 6:30 PM. Maybe it’s simply something you enjoy now and then. But if you’ve started depending on it to make the evening bearable, it’s time to ask yourself why.
At Centres for Health & Healing, we understand how stress, mental health issues, and substance use can become connected. Our treatment programmes help people address problematic substance use while also looking at the circumstances and experiences that may be contributing to it.
If you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol or drug use, contact us to talk about what’s happening and explore your options for treatment. We are here for you.
References:
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. (2025). Workplace stress.
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. (n.d.). Canada’s guidance on alcohol and health.
- Department of National Defence. (2026). Healthy workplace. Government of Canada.