{"id":48199,"date":"2026-04-12T03:22:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T03:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48199"},"modified":"2026-04-12T03:22:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T03:22:04","slug":"gen-z-stress-means-substance-use-before-during-and-after-work-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48199","title":{"rendered":"Gen Z stress means substance use before, during and after work days"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Gen Z is living the high life \u2014 on the job.<\/p>\n<p>A growing share of Zoomers \u2014 the generation aged 14 to 29 \u2014 report they\u2019re turning to pot, booze and pills to get through the workday, sometimes before it even starts.<\/p>\n<p>And employers are clueless.<\/p>\n<p>In a<a href=\"https:\/\/drugrehabus.org\/substance-use-daily-life-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> recent survey of 1,000 US adults <\/a>conducted across a network of mobile and digital platforms, an alarming 35% of Gen Z respondents said they use substances such as cannabis, alcohol or prescription meds before starting work.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39057796\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<figcaption>Gen Z are facing increasing stressors in adult life and turning to nicotine, booze, pot and pills for relief, before during and after workdays, says a study.  <span class=\"credit\">Jack Forbes \/ NY Post Design<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After the work day, 56% said they use them to recover from job-related stress. <\/p>\n<p>The stunning findings, compiled by Drug Rehab USA, reflect responses from adults across all generations \u2014 Boomers, Zoomers, Millennials and Gen X \u2014 who self-identified as substances users.<\/p>\n<p>It offers a surprising snapshot into how some Americans \u2014 particularly younger workers \u2014 are coping with workplace pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Within the group, substance is woven into the hours of the workday itself also.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly a third of Gen Z respondents (32%) reported using substances during breaks, whether they\u2019re in their car or in workplace bathrooms.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly 9% said they\u2019ve actually snuck substances during meetings or work calls, and only one in five said they haven\u2019t used substances in connection with work at all.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Compared to Baby Boomers, Gen Z workers were more than three times as likely to report coming into work inebriated. <\/p>\n<p>Gen Z is really stressed out. Two-thirds of Zoomers said they would consider leaving the US altogether due to stress and cost of living pressures.<\/p>\n<p>Still, experts caution against viewing this as a purely generational issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not that Gen Z can\u2019t cope with stress, but they\u2019re dealing with a version of life that feels like it\u2019s always on, and it\u2019s hard to take a step back,\u201d Andrew McKenna, deputy director of the<a href=\"https:\/\/ncaddwestchester.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence\/Westchester, Inc<\/a>. and study author told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Raised in an era of constant connectivity, a 24\/7 news cycle, social media pressure and economic uncertainty, Gen Z is trying to make it through an intense environment, he said \u2014 one where lack of funds and rising insurance costs put traditional mental health solutions, such as therapists and psychologists, out of their reach.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39057795\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.79980469;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39057795\" width=\"472\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?w=819\" alt=\"A young man with long, dark hair smiling\" class=\"wp-image-39057795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 819w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=43,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 43w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=160,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 160w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=231,289&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=322,403&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=300,375&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=353,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 353w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=48,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 48w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=64,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 64w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=46,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 46w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=125,156&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 125w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=40,50&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 40w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/andrew-mckenna-deputy-director-ncadd-124908583.jpg?resize=150,188&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px\"\/><figcaption>Andrew McKenna, Deputy Director of National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence\/Westchester, wrote about the study\u2019s eye-opening results. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Andrew McKenna<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although Gen Z has been slammed for general laziness, and blamed for everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/07\/us-news\/gen-z-the-first-generation-officially-dubbed-dumber-than-the-last\/\">being the first age group to do worse in school than the prior generation<\/a> to finding places to <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/31\/lifestyle\/gen-z-loses-it-nyc-workers-flee-9-to-5-for-cry-rooms-and-nap-pods\/\">sleep and\/or cry <\/a>during work hours, they\u2019re not the only group self-medicating, reveals the eye-popping study.<\/p>\n<p>In some categories, Millennials \u2014 with family obligations along with more responsibilities at work \u2014 reported even higher rates than their younger counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>About 62% of Millennials \u2014 those aged 30 to 45 \u2014 said they use alcohol to manage stress, slightly edging out Gen Z at 61%, followed by Gen X at 56% and Baby Boomers at 44%.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, while 35% of Gen Z respondents said they use substances before workdays, that figure rose to 37% among Millennials, compared with 21% for Gen X (ages 46 to 61) and just 10% for Boomers (ages 62 to 80).<\/p>\n<p>Overall, alcohol was the most commonly used substance among respondents from all four generations (57%), followed by cannabis or THC products (54%) and nicotine (48%).<\/p>\n<p>Smaller numbers reported using prescription anxiety or sleep medications (26%), stimulants such as Adderall (9%), painkillers or opioids (9%) and illicit drugs (7%).<\/p>\n<p>The coping mechanism comes at a cost. <\/p>\n<p>More than a third (39%) reported they spend $50 or more on substances each week, with 15% spending over $100 per week. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is how coping has changed from actually managing stress to merely getting through it and surviving,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cYou have folks reaching for whatever is immediate and available \u2014 because in that moment, it feels like a solution \u2026 It\u2019s adults adapting to an environment where pressure is high and the support isn\u2019t keeping up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/11\/lifestyle\/gen-z-stress-means-substance-use-before-during-and-after-work-days\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gen Z is living the high life \u2014 on the job. A growing share of Zoomers \u2014 the generation aged 14 to 29 \u2014 report they\u2019re&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}