Alcohol dependency

Alcohol is one of the most popular drugs in Australia.  A range of factors may influence dependence on alcohol including psychological, biological, social and environmental factors.  Alcohol dependence is often associated with depression, particularly for women. 

Symptoms and characteristics

Alcohol dependency is characterised by:

• tolerance for alcohol with the person needing increased amounts over time and getting less effect with repeated use
• withdrawal—the person experiences negative withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, shaking and cravings, or uses alcohol to relieve withdrawal symptoms
• continued consumption of alcohol despite experiencing its ill effects (i.e. lack of control or compulsive behaviour).

In severe cases, alcohol related brain injury is caused when drinking too much alcohol harms or destroys cells in various areas in the brain. The resulting damage may leave the person with a range of impairments.  
 
Symptoms of severe alcohol dependency and alcohol related brain injury which can affect performance in the workplace include:

• memory loss, confusion, poor planning and organisation, hallucinations and impaired ability to learn new information
• poor co-ordination—can lead to accidents especially with regard to operating machinery or driving vehicles.  

For more information on some of these symptoms and characteristics, follow these links:

• depression
• other acquired brain injury

Statistics

More than 2,500 Australians are treated for alcohol related brain injury every year (Better Health Channel 2007).

Workplace adjustments and solutions

There are solutions and adjustments for the following job requirements:

• acquiring skills
• attention and memory 
• driving motorised vehicles—fine hand use
• driving motorised vehicles—mobility
• managing attendance
• managing emotions at work
• maintaining personal presentation appropriate to the work environment
• organisation and planning  

References

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Mental Health Council Inc. and Betty Ann Kitchener and Anthony Francis Jorm at ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne 2006, Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace—an e-learning course, Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Canberra.

Better Health Channel 2007, Alcohol related brain damage, State Government of Victoria, Melbourne, viewed 4 April 2007,  <http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Alcohol_related_brain_damage?OpenDocument>.

Crofts, N. 2007, 'This country’s biggest drug problem is alcohol', The Australian, 24 February, viewed 24 February 2007, <http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21275448-23289,00.html >.