Careers that foster a high stress environment tend to also have high rates of substance use, which is unfortunately what we’re starting to see reflected in Charlotte’s Real Estate and Development Industry. Real estate agents are usually paid on commission, not salary. This means that they only get paid when they close a sale, and closing a sale is a front-facing sales job that requires interaction with individuals, managing expectations, and being convincing enough to sell a product.
This means that real estate agents not only suffer extreme stress, but may feel pressure to turn to substances in order to maintain a positive mood while dealing with clients. The result is their career feeling more like a trap than a vocation, pushing them towards drugs or alcohol to self medicate in order to survive.
At Southeastern Recovery Center, we focus on personalizing treatment plans so that individuals know that while the stress and pressure they feel in their careers are real, there are healthier ways to cope with them than by turning to substance use. This article is meant to help real estate agents and realtors overcome drug or alcohol addiction by spreading awareness and understanding.
Article TL;DR: Real estate agents and realtors have high rates of substance abuse, making it important for treatment facilities in Charlotte to be primed to address their underlying causes of drug use.
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Why Real Estate Agents Develop Drug or Alcohol Addiction. Real estate agents develop drug or alcohol addiction due to stress or a desire to perform well while on the job.
What Types of Drugs Do Real Estate Agents and Realtors Consume? Real estate agents may do drugs such as alcohol, Adderall, cocaine, and opioids.
NC Real Estate Agent Drug Addiction Recovery. Real estate agent drug addiction recovery in NC revolves around seeking assistance from facilities like Southeastern Recovery Center.
Local NC Resources for Real Estate Agents Overcoming Addiction. Primers on inpatient rehab, women’s rehab, and sober living facilities in Charlotte, North Carolina can help real estate agents overcome addiction.
FAQS about The High Cost of the Close: Addressing Substance Use in Charlotte’s Real Estate and Development Industry. Learn answers to frequently asked questions about substance use among real estate agents and realtors.
Why Real Estate Agents Develop Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Real estate agents have two very different motivations that can lead to the usage of different drugs. The first reason that real estate agents might do drugs is to help them self medicate for the stress of their job. Having their income tied to commission means that any time they’re having a bad streak of not closing houses might result in more stress and financial worrying. In order to help calm themselves down, they may turn to drugs or alcohol to deal with anxiety or depression.
On the other side, real estate agents and realtors may turn to drugs in order to improve their performance while on the job. Real estate has a “work hard play hard” culture, which means that may feel pressure to use substances to keep up with other realtors when it comes to their closing rates in general moods.
In either scenario, real estate agents are putting themselves at risk of developing substance use disorders by picking an unhealthy way of coping with the demands of their job. According to the National Safety Council, sales occupations like real estate have a substance use disorder (SUD) rate of 13.4%. This ranks them among the top five job occupations with the highest rate of alcohol and other drug use disorders.
At Southeastern Recovery Center, we often teach our patients that such underlying conditions need to be addressed in order to ensure that drug treatment is successful in the long term. Healthier coping mechanisms need to be established in order to support healthy living.
What Types of Drugs Do Real Estate Agents and Realtors Consume?
The types of drugs that real estate agents and realtors use vary, including:
- Alcohol (for stress relief or to manage anxiety)
- Adderall (to try to improve mental performance)
- Cocaine (to try to keep energy high while dealing with clients)
- Opioids (to relax mood and body)
The more an individual uses these drugs for their effects, the more likely they are to develop a dependence and a subsequent addiction.
NC Real Estate Agent Drug Addiction Recovery
By the time a real estate agent realizes that they’ve developed a dependence on drugs in order to get through their day to day, it may be difficult for them to stop using these substances. In some cases, a realtor trying to defeat their addiction at home may result in suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Because of this, NC real estate agent addiction recovery is best handled with the assistance of medical professionals. Not only can licensed professionals help real estate agents address the underlying causes of their addiction through personalized treatment plans, but they can also put them in contact with resources for sober living as well as group therapy. At Southeastern Recovery Center, we try to provide as many resources as possible to ensure that individuals understand that they are not alone in the fight against addiction.
Real estate and development is a competitive industry. As such, realtors may develop an isolated, individualistic mindset, where they believe it’s them against the world. This type of thinking is antithetical to the mindset an individual needs to overcome an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
No one is alone, not even real estate agents. Through reaching out for assistance from treatment facilities like Southeastern Recovery Center, real estate agents can find healthier ways of coping with the stress of the job rather than turning to substance usage.
Local NC Resources for Real Estate Agents Overcoming Addiction
There are several different resources that NC real estate agents suffering from drug or alcohol addiction can refer to. These include:
- Our Primer on Inpatient Rehab in North Carolina
- Our Guide to Women’s Rehab in NC
- Sober Living Facilities and Charlotte, North Carolina
- NC Department of Health and Human Services
North Carolina has a high rate of substance abuse. Overdose deaths in 2021 increased 22% over the previous year, and 4,041 people in North Carolina lost their lives that year.
It’s important for individuals to understand that the unique struggles of their lives in occupations does not mean that they can’t seek out treatment for drug or alcohol addiction. Real estate agents and realtors in NC have plenty of resources they can use to help overcome drug or alcohol addiction to live healthier lives.
FAQS about The High Cost of the Close: Addressing Substance Use in Charlotte’s Real Estate and Development Industry
Why do real estate agents and realtors do drugs?
Real estate agents and realtors do drugs to try to maintain high performance and energy around the clock.
What kind of drugs do real estate agents consume?
Real estate agents may consume drugs such as cocaine or opioids as well as alcohol.
How much stress is generated in a sales job like real estate?
A lot of stress is generated in a sales job like real estate because their income depends on their daily performance.
Should real estate agents use inpatient rehab or outpatient rehab for drug addiction?
Real estate agents can use either inpatient rehab or outpatient rehab depending on what fits their comfortability levels and what medical professionals suggest for them based on their goals with addiction recovery.
Sources:
“Substance Use Disorders by Occupation.” National Safety Council. https://www.nsc.org/getmedia/9dc908e1-041a-41c5-a607-c4cef2390973/substance-use-disorders-by-occupation.pdf
“Mental Health and Substance Use.” Www.ncdhhs.gov, www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/mental-health-and-substance-use-disorders.
NCDHHS. “North Carolina Reports 22% Increase in Overdose Deaths.” Www.ncdhhs.gov, 21 Feb. 2023, www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2023/02/21/north-carolina-reports-22-increase-overdose-deaths.
