Drug Abuse Prevention

I recently attended an annual dinner/forum for a local non-profit group which focused on Drug Abuse Prevention. We’ve all heard, or experienced first-hand, the devastating effects of drug abuse on family, employment, education, and just about every other facet of human life. What we don’t always hear about are the amazing efforts by some making an incredible impact on prevention. By taking small steps to identify risk factors, especially for our youth, we can have a tremendous impact. At the forum, one of the panelists made a great point about how parents and doctors don’t ask the difficult questions, and often times because they are afraid of the answer, or maybe they are suffering themselves. Why do our doctors have no problem asking us about our diets and suggesting cholesterol screenings, but very seldom ask us a simple question like, “How are you feeling emotionally?” or, “Does your child seem to be fitting in, and participating in a healthy way?” When we look at diabetes and heart disease compared to major depression or substance abuse disorders only a small fraction of those suffering from behavioral disorders are actually being diagnosed and treated compared with their medical counterparts.

As the prescription drug epidemic continues to rise we need to do more in the area of prevention. Here are some wonderful resources for prescription drug abuse prevention from our friends at Peer Assistance Services:

http://www.peerassistanceservices.org/prescription/drugabuse_materials.php

Ian Holtz,
Manager, Business Development

Psychology of Performance – 35: Attachment to the Status Quo

In over 35 years of working with people on making change, improving their performance, and living more fully it is still interesting to me how many people persist in doing the same self-defeating actions over and over despite saying they want to improve, grow, or change for the better (whatever that means). So the following are four questions worth asking yourself if you want to improve your performance in some area of your life.

1. Situation Questions – Tell me about your life? How is it working now?
2. Problem Questions – Can we be specific about what is not working? Are you concerned about your current quality of performance?
3. Implication Questions – What happens if you don’t do something different?
4. Need-Payoff Questions – If you act and it improves – how does that impact your life?

Take time to reflect on these questions, write down your answers, and be curious about where this may take you. If you find yourself resisting the questions or process, look more deeply into that instead.

It’s up to you….as they say “no one can do your push-ups for you.”

Exchange love and happiness with everyone you meet today.

Bob
Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 34: Spark!

The book, Spark, by John J. Ratey, M.D. is the holy grail of research applications related to the interaction of exercise, neuroplasticity, and performance. The information on brain chemistry changes in the areas of learning, addictions, anxiety, depression, women’s issues, ADHD, and aging is priceless. The essence of the book is that the data indicated the brain is able to create new neuronal connections, grow new nerve cells throughout life, manage major psychological conditions, pain conditions, and learning is significantly enhanced through exercise. Ratey stated that “exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function”- based on hundreds of research studies (p.245). Ratey suggested that the more fit you get (regardless of where you start), the “ more resilient your brain becomes and the better it functions both cognitively and psychologically. If you get your body in shape, your mind will follow” (p. 247).

How much is enough? Ratey stated that walking is enough. Low-intensity exercise is at 55 to 65% of maximum heart rate, moderate is 65-75% and high intensity is 75-90%. “The process of getting fit is all about building up your aerobic base” (p.251). Ratey goes on to discuss the role of strength training and flexibility as important elements of optimizing your brain chemistry and hormone levels.

What does this have to do with optimizing your performance at work and in all areas of your life? Everything! Get started today and stick with it.

Have a day filled with optimal brain chemistry,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Psychology of Performance – 32: Nutrition, Depresssion, Alcoholism and Performance

I ran across some interesting information on the role of niacin, depression, and alcoholism in performance at www.doctoryourself.com. It is well documented that depression and/or alcoholism may negatively affect performance across just about any domain one can perform in. In the treatment of depression and alcoholism there are very effective cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy interventions. In addition, exercise and medication may add additional therapeutic effects. The role of nutrition may have further potentiating influence.

According to this site, Bill W., the founder of AA, was successfully treated for depression with 3,000 mg of niacin a day. Unfortunately, this information has not been widely discussed or published in the media. I would be interested to hear from any of you who have used niacin as a means of treating depression or alcoholism and what your results were. Please let us at MINES know.

Have a day filled with mindfulness,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Overcoming Addiction

Overcoming any addiction is often a life-long journey filled with as many peaks as there are valleys.  Getting support from your family, friends, and treatment providers is an important part of maintaining sobriety.  If you are looking for additional support check out these free resources at http://store.samhsa.gov/home .  As always, we’re here to help.

~The HealthPsych Team

Relapse and Recovery

Visit our Website Past Newsletters Relapse and Recovery April 25, 2011 I was raised to be aware that sometimes I am going to mess up and I am not always going to make the right decisions. The key is to learn from those mistakes. But one of the most important lessons my parents taught me was that while I am going to make mistakes I am in control of my decisions and happiness. My parents had already been through most of the landmines you worry about for your children; teen pregnancy, high school dropout, and experimenting with drugs. I couldn’t get away with anything. I didn’t even have a chance to make my own mistakes because they had already “been there, done that.” They knew every dangerous situation to avoid and they made sure I did just that. I am very aware of what my parents had to give up because of the choices they made. And I am very aware of how difficult life can become if you choose to head down a different path. Because of my parents, I have been very thoughtful of every decision in my life. There were times I would hear them preaching and I would want to run, just to not hear the “how hard it is to raise a child” speech again. In fact, I still hear that one! Although I have never been an addict, I have worked in a rehabilitation clinic with adolescents who are. Many recovery programs are built on the philosophy much like what my parents taught me: Making a mistake is human, but learning from those mistakes is the key. Avoid dangerous situations, so you aren’t tempted to make a decision that you might regret. And most importantly, self-pity isn’t nearly as productive or rewarding as knowing that you are the controller of your destiny. Read this week’s communication for information on Relapse and Recovery. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

Psychology of Performance – 24 Suffering, Attachment, and Business Performance

This month’s blog theme has been on addictions. This post will focus on a related theme of how suffering comes from attachment in business performance. In our consultations through BizPsych (www.bizpsych.com), we have the opportunity to observe how businesses underperform due to attachments (beliefs) that no longer serve the business. These attachments can be rigidly or compulsively (similar to an addiction, but not the same) held on to or may range from a subtle “this is how we do business,” to “they are loyal employees and I don’t care if they do cause trouble or do not perform as well as the others do.”

So how does suffering occur in a business when an unexamined belief is allowed to operate because it is a “sacred cow” in the organization or because of some other psychological phenomena in the mind of leadership? In one example, the organization (belief 1) had a large contract that was supposed to start in 6 months; the leadership (belief 2) made a decision to borrow money to increase the staffing (belief 3) in the production arena. This occurred and the contract did not materialize. The contract implementation was delayed a year. In the meantime, the organization was overstaffed and now the staffing level was viewed by some as necessary (belief 4). What actually was happening was that the net profit performance was not only compromised, the organization was losing money due to carrying too much overhead without corresponding productivity.

The suffering was occurring on many levels. The organization was suffering from inadequate cash, too much debt, and staff morale problems. The leadership was suffering because of a “sacred cow” belief that they had invested too much in the staff to let some of them go. The staff was suffering because they were fielding complaints from vendors who were not being paid in a timely manner. All of which could be traced to unexamined core beliefs that lead to the behavior observed by us.

The solution was to examine the core beliefs, challenge them, and for leadership to make the hard business decisions they had to in order to keep the organization viable even if it meant giving up the beliefs that they were going to get bigger and more profitable if only the big account would start.

What suffering is occurring in your organization because of attachments to a belief or set of assumptions that do not have data to support them?

Have a day filled with love and happiness,

Robert A. Mines, Ph.D.
CEO & Psychologist

Helping an Unwilling Alcoholic

Visit our Website Past Newsletters Helping an Unwilling Alcoholic April 19, 2011 Trying to unwind from a busy weekend, I turned on the TV last night hoping for mindless entertainment to put me to sleep. Instead, I found myself watching yet another episode of Interventionon A&E. The show depicts individuals struggling with addiction and the people that love them coming together for, you guessed it, an intervention. I should have known I wouldn’t be going to bed for at least an hour but, once again, I was captivated by the people and their stories of how their addiction came to be. Since I first started watching Intervention, I have had a different outlook on the people I see on the street corner asking for money or the people on the news arrested for drugs. I always ask myself, “What is their story?” “How did they get there?” “Where is their family?” I am not taking responsibility away from the individual, but I can’t help but find compassion. If you have experienced addiction in your life or family, you know that addiction can affect any person from any walk of life and for a thousand different reasons. I guess my compassion isn’t for their addiction but rather what got them there, the hopelessness in their eyes and that they didn’t feel there was another way. When I watch the show I wonder, what if that was me? How many times would my family try an intervention before they said “enough?” If that was my family member, what would my bottom line be before I walked away? I think that is what makes this show so intriguing. On many levels the show is so relatable because we all have fallen and need help getting back. Unfortunately, it is also relatable because too many of us know what it’s like to lose someone, in one way or another, to substance abuse. How would you handle it? What would you do if they were in denial, like so many people suffering from addiction are? Read this week’s communication for tips on dealing with an addict in denial. Read more on this topic here… Britney Kirsch Account Manager

Workaholism…Society makes it Easy!

In recent HR publications, there has been a new addiction highlighted. This addiction is becoming more and more common and is typically seen in a positive light but can certainly have detrimental effects. Workaholism affects an estimated 30% of the general population and is characterized by a dependence on work (Elowe, 2009). A recent Harvard Business Review study produced statistics about workaholism: nearly 35% of higher earners work more than 60 hours per week and 10% work an average of 80 hours per week. An extreme worker is one who works 60 hours per week with tight deadlines and may have lots of subordinates and responsibility for profit (Pfadenhauer, 2007).

Workaholism is similar to other addictions in many respects. Workaholics may sneak around work, they may lose interest in other activities, and they may constantly think about how much they prefer to be working. Workaholics even have the perfect vices to keep them in contact with work – smart phones and laptops.  In addition, the workaholic is further bred by a culture that reinforces success, overachieving, and the importance of accomplishments. Most workers who fall into this “workaholic” or “extreme” worker category are given constant praise, opportunities, and higher wages (Osterweil & Hitti, 2011).

So, higher wages, being successful – wow! Sounds great! Now, what’s the flip side? Well, there are negative implications of workaholism as well. Certainly, there have been notable effects on ones’ health; the workaholic may experience higher rates of anger, depression, anxiety, and even psychosomatic issues. In addition to these unpleasant effects on ones’ health, the workaholic may strain or even ruin family relationships and friendships (Osterweil & Hitti, 2011).

Much like other addictions, workaholics are often in denial. Remember, this is the worker who refuses to take time off of work, thinks about how much they want to be at work while on their cruise, or puts off their son’s games to meet important deadlines. Big picture: they are so embedded in work that they can’t even imagine asking for help or setting better boundaries (Osterweil & Hitti, 2011).

There are some small steps that employers can take to encourage employees to enjoy a work-life balance. Only allow personal time off (vacation, sick, personal, etc) to accrue so high. Also, consider not allowing employees to “cash out” their accrued time so they “use it or lose it.” Don’t set precedence that hours worked correlates to more success in the company. Acknowledge that your healthier, happier employees will likely be more efficient.

Are you a workaholic? Take this quiz…

http://www.healthyplace.com/psychological-tests/stress-workaholic-test/

Daniél C. Kimlinger, MHA
Human Resources Specialist

 References

Elowe, J. (2010). Workaholism: Between Illusion and Addiction [Abstract]. Clinique Psychiatrique, 4(36), 285-293.

Osterweil, N., & Hitti, M. (2011). Are You a Workaholic? You might as well face it — you’re addicted to work. Could your workaholism be hurting you? In Health and Balance. Retrieved April 19, 2011, from WebMD website: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/are-you-a-workaholic

Pfadenhauer, D. (2007, June 4). Workaholism, the New Addiction. In Strategic HR Lawyer. Retrieved April 19, 2011, from EP Advisors website: http://www.strategichrlawyer.com/weblog/2007/06/workaholism_the.html

Being “Addicted” to Unskillful Behavior

In my line of work as an organizational consultant, I often get to see the impact of having an impaired individual in the workplace. Now, because this month’s wellness theme is “Overcoming Addictions” you might ask yourself, “What does an organizational development consultant have to do with working with people who are struggling with addictions?” It’s a reasonable question, especially if one’s definition of addictions pertains to the classic substances that people associate with addictions such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or gambling.

While I do work with teams who have had to deal with the consequences of having an impaired colleague, more often than not, the types of “addictions” that I get asked to consult on have to do with counterproductive behaviors that create psychological toxicity in the workplace.

If we think of addictions in the broad context of “being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming” then I can affirm that I do work with people who make a “habit” out of engaging in unskillful behaviors. The behaviors can include, but are not limited to: yelling and screaming, diffusing responsibility, conflict avoidance, defensiveness, micromanaging, or speaking to people in a way that comes across as demeaning or condescending.

In the world of business psychology, we focus on the intersection of human behaviors and business systems. If a person habitually engages in a way that is unskillful it can create a hostile work environment. Think of it as “secondhand smoke” in that those types of behaviors are a toxin in the work environment and have a negative effect on everyone.

Our division offers trainings on how to effectively deal with counterproductive behaviors and workshops that are designed to minimize the stressors that often trigger unskillful behavior. In addition, for individuals who are truly invested in making positive changes, enhancing their work relationships, and “kicking the habit’ of engaging in counter productive behaviors, we offer individualized executive coaching. Visit www.bizpsych.com for more.

Marcia Kent
President, BizPsych