It’s true, alcohol gives the illusion of effectively making problems go away through numbing. It is easy to forget the sack of problems that police officers carry around in this profession, and that sack at times can feel overbearing. To understand how alcohol “numbs,” it helps to look at it as a chemical override of your body’s electrical system. It doesn’t just make you feel less; it physically slows down the rate at which your brain cells communicate. What occurs in the brain is alcohol targeting neurotransmitters that quiet the active parts of your mind. The “noise” of your daily stress is silenced. At the same time, glutamate is blocked, which slows your thinking, movement and reactions. These combine to create emotional and physical numbing.

Police are constantly being physically assaulted. I don’t mean by criminals, I mean by long hours, order-ins and working overnights. Cortisol in your body becomes confused. For a normal person, cortisol spikes in the morning when you wake up, but for officers working overnights, that spike may come when they are trying to get to sleep after a midnight shift. This leads to a physically and mentally exhausted body and mind. Studies show that staying awake for over 17 hours can create performance levels similar to having a 0.05% BAC. Working nights also deregulates you from your family and society. Your kids are at school while you are sleeping, you’re working holidays, you’re missing birthdays and the only people you are in sync with are other officers. It becomes difficult to switch off the job. This is referred to as circadian disruption and has been categorized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogen. Studies prove that police officers face elevated risk for certain types of cancer, including prostate, colon and skin melanomas.

A perfect storm is created when you combine these stressors with the actual hazards of police work and understaffed departments. The risk of being assaulted rises when there aren’t enough officers to do the job safely. Staffing also contributes to calls becoming backed up, often creating mandatory overtime, lack of days off and insufficient rest between shifts. It is no wonder that nearly 20% to 30% of police struggle with alcohol, compared to 10% of the general public.

In 2005, I had just returned from a tour in Ramadi, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was doing my best to integrate myself back into my family I had spent nearly one and a half years away from. At the same time, I went back to working midnights as an officer. I did what most soldiers and officers did and consumed way too much alcohol to numb my problems. My family could not understand what I had been through and I could never describe it to anyone in words. I spent as much time as I could around other officers and combat veterans, feeling that they were the only ones who understood me, but my problems persisted. It wasn’t until I took my PTSD seriously that I began to move forward. For me that included fitness, a lot of it. I began to run and exercise every day. I stopped drinking and I sought professional help. It was a process that took time, but eventually I left those issues behind and moved forward. Most importantly, it was a choice.

At times, alcohol consumption becomes a normal part of the job. It is discussed in academy classes, and officers are introduced to the term “choir practice” for a reason. Officers commonly socialize using alcohol to bond and vent. Alcohol is often used by officers who drink alone to numb and deal with the stress of the job or PTSD. Many officers struggle to reach out for help, feeling that admitting there is a problem could be a career-ending decision if it became known among their peers. In both scenarios, officers are isolating themselves, avoiding professional help and only venting their frustrations to other officers.

Research suggests that up to 25% of first responder suicides are directly related to a substance or alcohol abuse problem immediately prior to the event. Nearly 6% of those who suffer from alcohol abuse are more likely to commit suicide than those without an alcohol use disorder. Police are nearly three times more likely to die by suicide than be killed in the line of duty. Suicidal ideation is reported by between 23% and 25% of officers, and rates are higher among officers who drink heavily.

Additionally, nearly every incident that officers encounter nowadays can become a viral video where actions are taken out of context and immediately spread globally. Split-second decisions on even routine calls are needed due to constant “performance pressure” brought on by phone cameras. This chronic exposure to social media also leads to officers isolating themselves from society to protect their own mental health. Most officers deal with a constant feeling that the media treats them unfairly. Feelings of being unappreciated and demonized are top reasons why officers leave the profession entirely. Older officers are retiring as soon as they reach eligibility, and younger people are becoming hesitant to enter a profession scrutinized by social media.

What can officers do to counter these issues? One of the most important things an officer can do is create strong boundaries between their profession and their personal life. One example would be using your commute home to decompress before interacting with family. Create a social life outside of your police family, allowing for fresh perspectives and preventing yourself from constantly going down the police “rabbit hole.” Create a ritual for yourself before going home by going to the gym, running or doing martial arts. Ensure you change out of your uniform before going home, making it a point to leave the job behind.

Treat your mental health just as importantly as your physical health. Utilize your peer support team. Don’t wait for a crisis to occur before putting these plans in place. Ensure proper nutrition. Take advantage of employee assistance programs, which often offer free consultations with a nutritionist. Stay away from fast food when working; rather, make it a point to meal prep on your time off. When it comes to sleep, make a plan. Use blackout curtains and white noise if you’re working overnights. Make it a habit to turn your phone off 30 minutes before sleeping. Communicate with your family about your job. You don’t have to elaborate on every detail, but it’s OK to tell them you had a bad day and you’re being affected. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the sack of problems that police carry at times can feel overbearing. In this profession, the sack will always be there, but you control how heavy it becomes. In the event you are experiencing trauma or something beyond the scope of your peer team, seek professional help and don’t become a statistic. Remember, confidential help is always a phone call away at 1-800-COPLINE.