Dark Side of Business: Why CEOs Should Avoid Alcohol and Drugs

Very often, people in business may start drinking alcohol to cope with their problems. This model of behavior is imposed on us from the mass culture: cinema, tv shows, standups.

The young generation of businessmen adopts this habit and associates the use of alcohol with success and financial well-being. In fact, this is not so at all. In this article, we try to explain the connection that is acceptable between business and alcohol.

Spoiler alert: business and alcohol can be a successful tandem only if it is an alcohol business.

One Drunken Trick

In a business environment, business meetings and confidential conversations are usually identified with drinking alcohol. Often, such communication flows at the business meetings, which often end with ridiculous stunts. Alcohol promotes successful negotiations and networking. But only in a case when your interlocutors get drunk and not you.

Even a one-time drunken trick can ruin the business reputation that has been created during the whole life. But if such tricks happen over and over again, it’s better to pay attention and look for an addiction hotline number on AddictionResource.

It has been experimentally proved that people who drink at meetings are more vulnerable to making mistakes and emotional decisions. They perceive information less critically and more often consider ineffective offers. Even in ancient times, the slaves in Sparta were given wine to avoid rebellion and lul their vigilance. So, the perfect option is to completely abandon alcohol at the meetings.

The addiction of the CEO is a weakness of the whole business.

An entrepreneur, as a professional poker player, should remain prudent in critical moments. The fewer things that can unsettle him, the better. It is harmful to a business that addictions and mind-altering substances take away power over thoughts and emotions.

Substances Always Take Something in Return

Alcohol takes time and encroaches on the main tools of the entrepreneur – brain neurons. Even legal drugs like Modafinil then come to their senses with side effects – a disrupted daily regime and toxic effects on the liver.

Regarding the mental and physical health, it is better to be a strategic investor and not risk too much for the sake of momentary effects.

Warren Buffett loves to repeat: “You only get one mind and one body. And it’s got to last a lifetime. But if you don’t take care of that mind and that body, they’ll be a wreck 40 years later…it’s what you do right now, today, that determines how your mind and body will operate 10, 20, and 30 years from now.”

Binman Work

To come up with a breakthrough business idea, you need to accumulate enough resources for its formation. Simply put, you need to immerse yourself in the topic, immerse yourself in your work. No stimulants will help if there is nothing to stimulate. This is often forgotten by those who cite the success of drug users.

Even if you can get insight solely thanks to some substances, then it is more likely to be a one-time and unsteady story.

After all, such an accidental success is almost impossible to repeat and very difficult to maintain. This is reminiscent of the story of scavenger Michael Carroll, who won the lottery and got more than $11 million. He had neither experience nor understanding of how to properly dispose of such a gift of fate. Therefore, he soon spent everything and returned to the previous work of the binman (garbage collector).

Genes of Success and Addiction

Success in business, as well as a predisposition to addictions, are inherent in a person at the genetic level. On the one hand, they allow them to be successful at work, and on the other, they predispose to the development of addiction to alcohol and drugs. People who achieve high results in entrepreneurship often have certain disorders of neurotransmitter metabolism. For example, a lot of businessmen patients have serotonin and dopamine disbalance. Excess dopamine makes them charismatic leaders, enhances the feeling of euphoria from successful deals, pushes them to a constant search for new solutions. Serotonin deficiency is manifested in suspiciousness and anxiety: a person is always energized and collected, does not allow himself to relax for a minute, constantly trying to increase his self-esteem due to working victories.

In many countries, businessmen quite often drink alcohol at negotiations, business dinners, presentations, opening, and closing deals. And taking into account the peculiarities of their neurotransmitter metabolism, they quickly subside to constant use.

Who Treats CEOs

In 95% of cases, businessmen seek full and comprehensive narcological help – they would rather go to a psychologist than stay in rehab. Very often, they call drug and alcohol hotlines. In 70% of cases, their business partners initiate the treatment, about 10% come to the understanding that the help of a doctor is necessary.

Why are partners the first to pay attention? Due to the lack of serotonin, he is incredulous and tries to do everything on his own. Therefore, when he can no longer perform his functions, the business suffers losses. For five to seven years of regular drug or alcohol use, the family is already getting used to the disease: if the wife and children do not become codependent, they learn to get the benefit from the disease.

How to Recover

The psychological aspect plays a very important role in the treatment of businessmen. When restoring the neurotransmitter exchange, it may seem to businessmen that they have lost all their charisma and enterprise, become faceless and ordinary, the business has stalled and is not developing. This state of frustration from what is happening greatly increases the likelihood of a breakdown after treatment.

It is important to teach a person healthy models of thinking and behavior. In general, businessmen who have a successful experience in quitting alcohol or drugs achieve even greater success in business. Very often, they replace one addiction with another – they go headlong into work. In addition, a sober leader, as a rule, prohibits the use of alcohol in the company, which also positively affects the development of the business.

If you have already noticed you drink at every meeting, it would not be a bad thing to call a national addiction hotline and get a free consultation. The specialist will recognize the addiction and help with the treatment options.

alcoholic businessman -DepositPhotos

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