Are You Drinking While Working From Home?
This post originally appeared in different form on the Ria Health Blog. Ria Health offers flexible treatment for alcohol use disorder from a smartphone app.
Ever feel like reaching for a glass of wine during a stressful workday? While this might normally be impossible, COVID-19 has meant more and more of us are working from home. And without the prying eyes of a supervisor, many Americans have begun having a drink, or three, on the job.
In fact, according to one recent survey, more than 4 out of 5 people drank at least twice a week while working at home during 2020.
Sound familiar? Clearly, you aren’t alone. And, with all the stress and isolation of the pandemic, it’s not hard to imagine why many people might want to have a few drinks to take the edge off. Hey, with so many daily pleasures off limits, you might as well enjoy the benefits of working by yourself, right?
But as vaccines roll out, and the world inches towards normalcy, it’s become clear that remote work is here to stay. And as the clouds of the pandemic lift, you might be starting to look at that wine glass on your desk a bit differently. If working from home is your new normal, is this something you actually want to keep doing?
As many of us have learned, the routines we keep while working remotely have a big impact on our productivity, and even our work-life balance. Not to mention that most employers frown upon drinking at work, and drinking too much can affect your life and health beyond your career.
So, is it time to give up that desk beer, or that personal martini lunch? And if so, what’s the best way to change your routine?
Have People Really Been Drinking More During COVID-19?
Since the beginning of the pandemic, it’s clear that alcohol use among Americans has been increasing. Alcohol sales rose 55 percent in March 2020, compared with the same sales period in 2019. And although this might simply reflect people stocking up for quarantine, a study published in late 2020 confirmed that people have, in fact, been drinking more during the pandemic.
There are many factors at play here, including increased stress, anxiety, depression, isolation, and plain-old boredom. It’s likely that disrupted work routines and social lives have also played a major role, judging from shifts in what times and days people choose to drink.
Drinking During the Workweek
According to BACtrack data, drinking decreased 51 percent on weekends at the start of the pandemic, but increased 47 percent during the workweek.
While the data doesn’t include specifics on why this might be the case, this shift makes logical sense. For many, drinking is a social activity that takes place at a bar or club on the weekend. With local watering holes closed due to COVID-19, more people may have skipped drinking on Saturday night. But increased boredom and isolation at home might have made a glass of wine in the evening — or even during the workday — seem more appealing.
Then, there’s the possible link between increased work stress and alcohol consumption. While some people lost employment during COVID-19 (which is a whole other issue), others found themselves working more, under more challenging circumstances (managing childcare while on the job, for example). It can also be harder to leave “work mode” and unwind when your office is in your house. Drinking can feel like a solution to this stress, and studies confirm that longer work hours are a risk factor for alcohol abuse.
Consequences of Drinking on the Job
The occasional after-work Zoom “cocktail party” probably won’t kill you — nor will having a single glass of wine to wind down in the evening. But it’s well known that drinking on the job can have serious consequences for your health and career.
For starters, if you’re drinking during the workday, you might be drinking more overall. Exceeding a moderate drinking level (one standard drink per day for women, or two standard drinks per day for men) raises your risk of long-term health problems such as liver disease.
But even if you aren’t drinking excessively, drinking while working remotely can be harmful. Alcohol impairs judgment, which could make you more likely to commit careless errors, or do poorer work overall. If your employer notices this trend over time, they’d be justified in firing you for this reason. And if you have a pattern of day-drinking, it could also be harder to find a new job.
We should note, however, that while many employers have provisions that allow them to fire you for substance abuse issues, federal law also requires them to give you time off to seek treatment.
When to Worry About Drinking While Working From Home
If you’ve been knocking a few back at the home office during COVID-19, you clearly aren’t the only one. But there are certain amounts of alcohol that are bound to affect your health and job performance sooner or later. If you’re having more than one or two drinks per day, every day, it’s worth taking a look at your drinking. And if remote work looks like it’s going to be a permanent part of your life, you might want to think about saving that one beer for after you close your laptop.
If you’re struggling to change your pandemic-era drinking habits as things start gradually opening up, you also aren’t alone. Online telehealth programs (such as Ria’s) are one way to find flexible treatment, and you don’t always need to consider yourself an alcoholic to join. Support group meetings also remain a legitimate option, especially if you are drinking heavily and want to stop completely. And a number of smartphone apps can help you track your drinks and change habits if you feel you are more “gray area” in your consumption. If you’re curious where your drinking falls on the spectrum, try taking our alcohol use survey.
As the world around us continues to change, it’s always legitimate to make conscious adjustments to your daily life. What may have worked during the pandemic may not be the best choice going forward. If you feel you’d like to reduce how much you drink after COVID-19, regardless of the method or the reason, we support you.
