Drugs, Fatigue & Broken Smiles – The Dark Side Of Nightlife Work

There is something almost traditional about weekends in Britain, a culture that is heavily influenced by alcohol whether that is a few social drinks in the local, or binge drinking till the early hours at an overpriced club night. Whilst hospitality suffered greatly during the pandemic, it has well and truly once again been revived, with late-night venues packed on all days of the week.

With well over half of the population in the UK working Monday to Friday, it’s completely understandable many like to let loose when the weekend comes, but for those working in nightlife that isn’t the case in fact, their work week is only just underway when the masses leave the office behind, and flood through the venue doors.

Up to 3 million Brits work the ‘graveyard’ hospitality shift, many of these being students earning a living out of their study times, working till the early hours of the morning. With the lively atmosphere it possesses, and what seems an extremely social position to work it’s no surprise many take on a role such as bartending. With that being said, this set environment can take a huge toll on individuals due to its long hours, lack of sober surroundings, and exposure to substances.

Speaking to ‘P’, a bar supervisor in London who works full time including the long weekend hours, he explains how the role he had taken over six years ago led him to a dark spiral of substance abuse. “Cocaine has been an occurring issue for me, everybody around me was doing it including staff, it kept me awake and stimulant which I needed to be I’m here for twelve hours until 7 am. It’s something I keep falling back into and continue to take, I’m not trying to make excuses because it’s a personal choice but yes, I’d say working in nightlife led me to it.” 

With the Class-A drug being branded as a ‘party drug’ it’s more often a common occurrence for many to pair the drug suitably with alcohol when attempting to maintain high levels of energy, and serotonin. Ranking as one of the most commonly used illegal substances in the UK, you’ll often find a dealer lurking around venues selling products to the already intoxicated members of the public.

P also went on to explain the corrupt nature he faces with other members of staff, and how drugs are so easily accessible in his place of work, a temptation that is extremely dangerous for an addict. “We know there’s going to be freebies every weekend when we run club nights. Security finds more substances than you can imagine when searching people yet it’s never reported, it’s left in the staff room for workers because it’s just what everyone does to get through the night, and for me, if it’s there and it’s free I find it extremely difficult to turn the offer down.”

Due to the lack of sobriety in many venues when an event is being held, workers also face many erratic behavioural changes in customers that can often lead to discomfort, and even at times fear for safety. A study from the World Health Organization reported that 31.8% of violent crimes in the US were carried out whilst, under the influence of alcohol, a scary figure yet, violence and irregular behaviour is continuously linked strongly with alcohol and intoxication. 

After speaking to a young female bartender who preferred to remain unnamed, she went into detail about her uncertain safety at work, and how customers, particularly males make repetitive sexual advances throughout a regular shift. “There is almost an inability to escape the harassment, I may be stood behind the bar yet I am trapped in a secluded area. I shouldn’t have to feel unsafe at my job and if anyone was looking for advice to get into nightlife working, I don’t know what to tell you, It’s something I would avoid if possible.” 

Despite security being present for all late-license events, there still seems to be a looming fear for staff safety in many venues, not only from the threats of customers but also at times, other staff members. “Staff members can make me uncomfortable at times, primarily due to their aggression becoming exacerbated because of their lack of sobriety.”

 With these situations continuing to increase, the young bartender explained how she took to a higher power to maintain safe and comfortable working conditions. “I came up with a solution to HR to ensure staff maintained a professional work environment. When customers now offer to buy us shots we have to radio a manager to confirm if we’re allowed to accept, that way, they can keep track of alcohol intake behind the bar, and try and avoid incidents previously mentioned.”

From my personal experience as a bartender in London, I can confirm that at certain workplaces, staff are treated extremely unreasonably, and put on the front line of confrontational situations. A perfect example of this was my time as a bartender in Camden.

Working on Camden’s busy high street always had its risks, even leaving work you were continuously heckled by customers you refused to serve hours before closing. Working day shifts was ironically the highest point of uncertainty, with no security and only two members of staff in the pub it left myself and colleagues on high alert.  

There have been situations where banned customers would walk into the pub knowing no management or security were present and refusing to leave, at twenty years old and working part-time my employers never trained me to handle any form of confrontation or high-risk situations, we were thrown in the deep end and had to handle any situation at hand. 

Particularly with most venues hiring young students, It seems there is a gap in offering training for these occasions, something I feel should be mandatory for all employees. It’s not only the surrounding nature of working in nightlife that has its negative impacts, in fact, simply just the long gruelling hours seem to ware thin on exhausted workers, particularly those with other commitments outside of work. 

Zainab, a 23-year-old student living in London explained how her work schedule continues to have a negative impact on her degree. “I’m currently in the final year of my photography degree. As a portrait artist I tend to base my work on natural light, and vibrant colours, but when I’m finishing work at 6 am it’s very unlikely that I’m mentally prepared to be awake at 10 and capture a client in daylight, It’s physically draining and my dissertation has suffered because of that.” 

Studies carried out by the National Institute Of Health suggest night shift workers are continuously disrupting their body’s circadian rhythms causing an increased percentage of suffering from heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. The most common issue with late-night work that many suffer from is ‘Shift Work Sleep Disorder’ (SWSD), a condition that disrupts sleeping patterns. An average person suffering from the disorder allegedly loses one to four hours of sleep a night, with that in mind it seems a lot clearer to understand the effect these disruptive hours have on workers’ normal lives, particularly other commitments outside of the bar.

This was the case for Ben, a bartender who worked in a Leeds nightclub several days a week, after noticing a difference in his health due to fatigue, Ben was diagnosed with SWSD by a local GP. “Since leaving nightlife behind me, I’ve become much more functional in my usual day-to-day routine, my GP was extremely helpful and advised me on what was best for me. I had been working until 7 am for the past three years, it was bound to catch up on me at some point and now it’s behind me, it’s safe to say I don’t miss it!”

Whilst many struggle with nightlife work as a general and some feel helpless, there are many ways to gain support if you’re struggling with addiction, alcoholism, and even general advice on what to do to help your body when preparing for a nightshift on the NHS website.