Addiction within the finance industry is something that people are often aware of, but it’s never fully ‘spoken about’. It’s even glamorised, to some degree, in films like The Wolf Of Wall Street, but in reality, it’s anything but glamorous for the addicts involved.
Addiction Is Prevalent In The Finance Industry
The figures around addiction in the finance industry are skewed. This is because it’s an open secret, and the amount of people seeking publically funded NHS addiction therapies where they effectively ‘become a statistic’ is low. If addiction help is sought it may be through discreet private addiction rehab, if at all. In reality, the majority of addicts in the finance industry continue to feed their addiction in private, and in an environment where everybody else seems to be doing the same.
What we do know is that drug use, in particular, is high in London overall. Recent wastewater studies done on the London area estimated that 567,445 doses of cocaine are used everyday – a street value of £2.75 million. Interestingly, the cocaine use was sustained across the entire week, and didn’t rise all that much at the weekend, highlighting cocaine as a true ‘everyday drug’ in the capital.
Whilst these figures don’t immediately point to those within finance using cocaine, you can assume that the industries with the highest levels of stress, and social pressure to ‘party’, may well be cocaine addiction hotspots.
Why Is Addiction So Common In The Finance Industry?
The main reason that people suffer from addiction so much in the finance industry is as a response to stress. 69% of those working within finance say they suffer from high levels of stress related to their work – that’s higher than any other industry.
It’s also not difficult to see that alcohol and drug use is, unfortunately, part of the finance industry culture. Maybe your colleagues are doing cocaine and encouraging you to do it too? Maybe you’re pressured into hosting or attending boozy client meetings regularly, and you lean on drinks to get by? Maybe you’re trying to impress your boss, who consistently drinks or does drugs, so you do them too.
However you have found yourself using drugs and/ or alcohol in your finance job, you’re not alone. It’s certainly not abnormal for drugs and alcohol to be part of daily life working within finance.
The Fallout
Drug and alcohol consumption will always have a degree of ‘functionality’ for some people, at least for a short time. However, excessive drug and alcohol use always catches up with you, and this can have some drastic impacts on your life. You may notice the following signs in yourself, or in your colleagues:
- Personality changes
- A lack of care over appearance and hygiene
- Issues with memory
- Absence or lateness from work or meetings
- Lowered ability to deal with stress
- Neglect of hobbies or activities previously enjoyed
- Neglect of relationships with family and friends
The very nature of addiction is that you eventually end up dependent on the substance or behaviour that started out as a bit of fun, or an exciting thrill. If you’ve started to notice you no longer want, but need to drink or do drugs, and perhaps feel unwell without them, the chances are you’re dependent on them and you need to seek help.
Don’t Pay For Your Banking Career With Addiction – Get Help Today
Addiction is common within the finance industry, and you’re certainly not alone in your drug and alcohol dependence. However, you don’t have to sacrifice your health and happiness to do well in your financial career. You can have a fast-paced life with all the rewards and riches you deserve without being in the cycle of addictive behaviours and slowly seeing everything you once loved, slip away.
Let today be the day you choose to make a call to a discreet, professional addiction service to help you get on the road to recovery. There are inpatient plans including medical detoxing, but you can also attend Dayhab and even online rehab if you can’t sacrifice any time at work to get clean. Speak to Infinity Addiction Solutions today to take the first vital step towards the healthier and happier life that you deserve.