If you asked most adults, one of the places they experience the most stress is at their jobs. For those with substance abuse issues, stress in the workplace can tempt adults to turn to drugs or alcohol to take the edge off.

While it’s impossible to completely avoid stress at work, there are several things you can do to handle that stress and maintain your sobriety.

Keep Track of Your Stressors

Are your daily frustrations caused by workplace processes? Does one particular colleague create more stress for you throughout your day? Keep track of what causes you to feel uneasy or upset so you can better prepare yourself to either deal with those situations or people, or work to prevent them from bothering you in the first place.

Determine and Set Up Boundaries

Since we have so many ways to contact each other nowadays — call, text, email, etc. — it can be difficult to separate yourself from your job. Whether you run it by your boss first or decide on your own, set limits for when you’ll be checking and responding to work-related items. The amount of stress this can lift is bigger than you may imagine.

Take Time Off

Federal law requires your job to give you breaks, and most often, vacation time. While you may think you have too much to get done, take advantage of earned time off. Even taking off a Friday or Monday to give yourself a long weekend to unwind can help you blow off some steam, without having to rely on drugs or alcohol to do so.

Speak to Your Higher-Ups

Especially if the stressors of your job are seemingly preventable, speak to your boss and air your frustrations. Even if not too many changes can be made, it can be very healthy and helpful to air your grievances to your boss or HR manager.

Remember, if you’re using drugs or alcohol to manage your stress at work, you’re only temporarily numbing your feelings. The real way to best manage stress is to find the root of the problem and work from there.

At Silver Ridge, we focus on a holistic approach to healing that emphasizes that it is not the substance itself that causes abuse and addiction, but the stresses of everyday life that push someone to seek extreme coping mechanisms. Contact us today to get the help you need.