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Legal & General Construction Wellbeing Programme · Talk 8 of 10

Alcohol & Substance Use

Toolbox Talk: Coping Habits That Can Become Problems

At a Glance

Alcohol and substance use are among the most common coping strategies for stress in construction, but also among the most damaging. What starts as unwinding after a hard day can become dependency. Substance use impairs the very functions needed on site: reaction time, judgement and emotional regulation. It also worsens the mental health problems it appears to relieve.

In the Ownminder App · Unwind & De-Stress + Looking After Yourself

Ownminder provides healthy, evidence-based alternatives to alcohol for unwinding, and the Looking After Yourself section helps you respond to the self-critical internal voice that often drives drinking.

  • And Breathe, Sigh Breath: Inhale twice through the nose, exhale slowly through the mouth. 1 to 3 repetitions. Activates the Soothing System in under 60 seconds, the fastest non-chemical calming tool available.
  • Pocket Time: Replaces automatic reaching-for-a-drink with intentional use of downtime: a puzzle, a few minutes of visualisation, or 7/11 breathing.
  • Rewards Tool: In Looking After Yourself: helps you design personal rewards, a walk, a piece of music, a treat, that activate the Soothing System without alcohol.
  • Critical Voice: Many people drink to quiet self-criticism. This tool identifies and reframes the harsh internal voice, addressing one root cause of problem drinking.
  • Binaural Beats: Audio tool for winding down and improving sleep, a direct, healthier alternative to alcohol as a sleep aid.

Discussion Questions

  1. The mental health continuum model, Healthy -> Reacting -> Injured -> Ill, helps identify when coping behaviours become problems. Where on the continuum do you think most people on this site currently sit, and what would move the dial toward Healthy?
  2. Is alcohol use after work a normal part of culture in this industry, and what are the risks?
  3. What healthy alternatives to alcohol help you unwind after a hard day?
  4. If worried about a colleague's drinking, would you know how to raise it sensitively?
  5. What does the company's drug and alcohol policy say, and do people know about available support?
  6. What one change could you make to your current habits that would protect your health?

Recognising the Signs

Warning signs include: drinking more than intended, using substances to manage anxiety or low mood, needing a drink to relax or sleep, hiding how much you consume, irritability when you can't drink, and morning drinking. On-site signals include: coming to work impaired, smelling of alcohol, mood swings, and increased risk-taking. Construction workers' 3.7x suicide rate is connected in part to the use of alcohol and substances as coping mechanisms for unaddressed mental health problems. The EAP on this site provides free, confidential support for both mental health and substance use concerns, without any impact on your employment.

Things to Try

The Ownminder app provides self-assessment tools and confidential signposting. Reducing reliance on alcohol or substances starts with honest self-reflection. Practical steps:

  • Use the Ownminder app to track use and access CBT-based tools for managing cravings
  • Identify your triggers, stress, loneliness, boredom, and find an alternative response
  • Contact the EAP for free, confidential counselling including addiction support
  • Speak to your GP, they can refer you to free local support with no judgement
  • Tell one trusted person, secrecy sustains the problem; disclosure begins recovery

Clearer Thinking

Reduced alcohol use rapidly improves concentration, memory and decision-making on site.

Better Sleep

Alcohol disrupts sleep quality even when it helps you drop off, reducing intake improves rest.

Improved Mental Health

Alcohol is a depressant, reducing intake reliably improves mood and reduces anxiety.

Support

EAP (free, confidential, no impact on employment) · MHFA on site · Samaritans 116 123 · Drinkaware 0300 123 1110 · Frank 0300 123 6600

Attendance Declaration

I have attended this toolbox talk, heard the content, and know where to access Ownminder, MHFA, EAP and crisis support if I need it.

Name

Signature

Accessible Support · Standard 9 (Health Promotion) · Standard 7 (Working Conditions)

NEF: Take Notice

Lever 6: Suicide Prevention, alcohol and substance use are significant risk factors for the construction suicide rate