Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships. Getting drunk with your buddies, for example, even though you know your wife will be very upset, or fighting with your family because they dislike how you act when you drink. If you’ve ever wondered what’s really going on in the brain when a person’s had too much https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/the-5-risks-of-drinking-after-work/ to drink, here’s a brief primer. The counselor may be able to assist in any immediate assessment or may be at least able to talk to the client immediately. Even if the EAP counselor is unable to see the employee immediately, EAP personnel should be informed of the situation. You should refer the employee to the EAP after the employee returns to duty.

It also can harm your liver, which plays an important role in your immune system by making antibacterial proteins. All research on the Coastal Detox website, including images, texts and graphics, is strictly for informational purposes. Please do not ignore information from your doctor because of something you saw on the Coastal Detox website. If you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you or a family member is dealing with alcohol addiction and are ready to take the next step towards recovery, Coastal Detox is here to help.

Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health

Yes, alcohol may seem like an easy way to relax but it is certainly not the best way. Whether the minimum age for alcohol consumption should be lowered from 21 to a younger age in the U.S. is widely debated. Some say the age should be lowered because 18 is the age of legal majority (adulthood) and young adults will drink alcohol regardless of the law. Others say the age should not be lowered because alcohol consumption before age 21 is irresponsible and dangerous. If possible, try to hold off on drinking alcohol within this golden hour.

“For starters, alcohol slows down the neurotransmitter GABA, and that’s what drives the sluggish movement, slurred speech, and slower reaction time in someone who’s intoxicated,” said Pagano. At the same time, Pagano added, alcohol speeds up a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which is responsible for regulating dopamine in the brain’s reward center. “It’s generating feelings of pleasure and well-being,” said Pagano. “That’s why you might get that warm, fuzzy feeling when you’re drinking.” Quite often, treatment will consist of a combination of all of the above, depending on such factors as the severity of the problem, the individual’s insurance coverage, whether detox is needed, and the availability of programs. All Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans have some kind of coverage; however, that coverage is limited.

Grant support

The alcoholic is simply not aware of what is going on in his or her body. Once prepared, you should notify the employee of the time and place of the meeting. The meeting should be held in a private place away from distractions. It is important to calmly but firmly explain the problems with the employee’s performance, the specific acts of misconduct or troubling behavior, and the consequences of any misconduct or poor performance.

• Because both alcohol and exercise deplete your body of fluid (alcohol can increase the need to urinate; heavy exercise produces sweat), pairing the two can lead to dehydration.
• Without support, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns when the road gets tough.
• Jen was referred by her primary care physician, with whom she had shared her concerns about not sleeping well.
• However, drinking alcohol makes it harder to use proteins according to the PLoS ONE journal – so you’ll build less muscle than you otherwise would.
• You should refer the employee to the EAP after the employee returns to duty.

Unless the employee reveals the existence of an alcohol problem or there is immediate evidence of on-duty impairment, you must be careful not to offer any opinion that the employee may have a problem with alcohol. You should refer the employee to the EAP and explain that failure to correct any deficiencies may result in disciplinary or other action. It would be preferable to have already made an appointment for the employee with the EAP.

How much alcohol?

Physiologically, it’s not helpful to drink after a workout if you’re attempting to achieve fitness gains, especially if you enjoy a post-workout alcoholic beverage regularly. Research shows that women who drink more alcohol than is recommended on a regular basis tend to develop liver disease, cardiomyopathy and nerve damage after fewer years than men who do the same. Symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and jaundice — a yellow tinge to the eyes or skin. However, symptoms rarely emerge until the liver has been severely damaged. More recent research has found that even low levels of drinking slightly increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, and the risk goes up dramatically for people who drink excessively.

Some of the heaviest drinkers may suffer some memory or learning problems connected to their earlier alcohol use, though they may never make this connection themselves. Denial is one of the biggest obstacles to getting help for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The desire to drink is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize drinking, even when the consequences are obvious. By keeping you from looking honestly at your behavior and its negative effects, denial also exacerbates alcohol-related problems with work, finances, and relationships. Heavy drinking also may speed up memory loss in early old age, at least in men, according to a 2014 study in the journal Neurology. Why does an alcoholic continue to drink despite the known facts about the disease and the obvious adverse consequences of continued drinking?

Unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers have some ability to set limits on their drinking. However, their alcohol use is still self-destructive and dangerous to themselves or others. According to a 2021 study in Scientific Reports, heavy drinking could lead to loss of brain volume. The researchers found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) had less brain matter than people without AUD. The affected brain regions controlled skills like attention, language, memory, and reasoning.

• They may also be able to conduct a voluntary alcohol test, most likely an EBT.
• Since alcohol is a depressant, it can slow the breathing, leading to a lack of oxygen to the brain.
• While work, relationship, and financial stresses happen to everyone, an overall pattern of deterioration and blaming others may be a sign of trouble.
• Accidents and on-the-job injuries are far more prevalent among alcoholics and alcohol abusers.
• Drinking too much and too quickly can lead to significant impairments in motor coordination, decision-making, impulse control, and other functions, increasing the risk of harm.
• It is very possible to have a drinking problem that is not defined or described as “Alcoholic.” Many people use alcohol to deal with stress but do not realize that it exacerbates the problems in their lives.

Intervention is effective, this can be a very powerful tool to counter denial and may help the employee consider treatment. Supervisors should contact an agency EAP counselor for more information about the intervention technique. It is generally a good practice to notify any employee who is being counseled for a performance or conduct problem about the availability of the EAP.

Expert Tips For Reducing Your Alcohol Consumption

The role of the Human Resources, or Employee Relations office in dealing with cases of substance abuse is to advise management of appropriate adverse, disciplinary, or other administrative actions which may be taken. They also advise employees of their rights and the procedures in such cases. They do not obtain confidential information from the EAP nor do they independently approach the employee regarding the problem. In jobs requiring long-term projects or detailed analysis, an employee may be able to hide a performance problem for quite some time. In addition to fluids, you also need carbohydrates to refuel and protein to rebuild muscle. After exercises such as swimming and running, carbohydrates replace glycogen burned during the workout.

Alcohol hinders a person’s absorption of thiamine and interferes with the enzyme that converts it into a usable form in the body. After the employee’s return to duty, there will be some type of follow-up care such as a 12-Step program or other group meetings, therapy, EAP sessions, or any combination of the foregoing (please see the Appendix ). These sessions should cause only minimal disruption to the work schedule. The EAP counselor can explain the importance of the follow-up program to the employee’s continued sobriety.

In any case, the appropriate course of action is to continue to hold the employee accountable for his or her performance and/or conduct, regardless of whether or not the employee has admitted an alcohol problem. Done in moderation and only occasionally, drinking after a workout won’t harm you. Beer may have a slight edge over liquor when it comes to choosing your post-exercise beverage, but be sure to double fist with water, too, so your body can fully rehydrate. Moderate alcohol consumption reduces the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) following strenuous exercise (3). For many people, finding time to work out means exercising during their leisure time after a busy day. When juggling work commitments and family responsibilities, it makes sense that many people consider capping off a trip to the gym with an alcoholic beverage.

Because of that social context, and also because his drinking was mostly limited to weekends, Marcus viewed his own drinking as normal. He thought he was just doing what a lot of other students did, so how could he have a drinking problem? The reality is that most college students who binge on alcohol will pass through this phase and emerge in adulthood as normal social drinkers.