From Alcohol to Gambling, Lyra Data Show Escapist Behaviours Climb amid Sustained Stress
Lyra Southern Africa’s latest behavioural health data reveals a steady year‑on‑year rise in addictive behaviours among South African employees, reflecting how prolonged stress is reshaping the ways people cope, escape and self‑manage emotional pressure.
Drawn from a five‑year analysis of Employee Wellness Programme trends, the data shows total addictive behaviour cases increasing from 1.79 percent of all cases in 2021 to 2.85 percent in 2025. While this may appear modest when viewed only as a percentage point shift, it in fact represents close to 60 percent growth over the period. Clinicians caution that this scale of increase reflects a material change in coping patterns, unfolding alongside heightened financial, social and psychological strain.
“This is not about sudden spikes or isolated events,” says Dubekile Mugumbate, Business Intelligence and Consulting Manager at Lyra Southern Africa. “It’s about stress that has become part of everyday life, and the coping strategies people reach for when that stress doesn’t let up.”
Lyra’s clinicians note that addictive behaviours rarely appear in isolation. They are often intertwined with anxiety, burnout, relationship strain and overwhelming life pressure. In the current climate, marked by economic uncertainty, rising living costs and ongoing instability at both household and societal levels, more people are turning to behaviours that offer short‑term relief or distraction.
Alcohol remains the most prevalent addictive behaviour across all five years, showing consistent year‑on‑year growth. Alcohol‑related cases have nearly doubled over the period, rising from just over 1 percent of all cases in 2021 to slightly above 2 percent in 2025. Clinicians describe this as a familiar pattern in high‑stress environments, where alcohol becomes an accessible and socially acceptable form of escape from relentless pressure. “When pressure is constant, people reach for what’s available and what works quickly to ‘numb the pain’,” Mugumbate explains.
Drug‑related cases present a different picture. While still significant, drug use and misuse shows a gradual decline as a proportion of addictive behaviour cases over the same period. This does not signal reduced risk, but rather changing access and preference as people gravitate toward behaviours that feel easier to hide or justify in daily life.
Gambling shows one of the sharpest increases. Though starting from a low base, gambling‑related cases more than quadrupled in the data set between 2021 and 2025. Clinicians link this rise to the normalisation of online betting platforms, instant gratification mechanics and the false sense of control gambling can offer to people feeling powerless in other areas of their lives.
Pornography use and sex‑related addictions remain smaller categories overall, but they continue to surface consistently year after year. These behaviours are often framed by employees not as addiction at first, but as stress relief, boredom management or emotional escape. Over time, however, they frequently intersect with shame, relationship breakdown and emotional withdrawal.
Internet and social media addiction, while still representing a smaller proportion of cases, shows renewed growth in 2025 after earlier fluctuations. Lyra clinicians note that constant digital engagement offers immediate distraction, connection and numbing, particularly during periods of uncertainty, loneliness or emotional overload.
Generational insights reveal important differences in how addictive behaviours manifest. Gen Y continues to represent the largest share of cases across all five years. This group consistently accounts for around a third of addictive behaviour presentations, reflecting the compounded pressures of mid‑career responsibility, financial obligation, dependants and expectation overload. For many, escapist behaviours become a way to briefly step away from relentless demand.
“For many Gen Y employees, the load never really comes off,” says Mugumbate. “Escapist behaviours can become the only space where the system pauses, even briefly.”
Gen Z follows closely behind, with a notable dip and resurgence over the period. Clinicians working with younger employees describe a generation navigating early career insecurity, limited disposable income and high exposure to digital environments that reward compulsive engagement.
Gen X shows steady growth year on year, particularly in the later years of the data. Here, addictive behaviours often emerge alongside cumulative burnout, long‑term stress and emotional fatigue rather than risk‑taking alone.
Gen Alpha presentations remain small but concerning. Drug use and pornography are more pronounced within this group than might be expected, highlighting early exposure, digital accessibility and the role of unmonitored online spaces. Clinicians stress the importance of early intervention as these patterns form at younger ages.
Baby Boomers make up a small proportion of cases but tend to present later and with more entrenched patterns. When addictive behaviours do surface in this group, they often intersect with grief, retirement‑related identity loss, health challenges or financial anxiety.
Across all generations, the common thread is escapism. Each behaviour offers momentary relief from stress, whether through numbing, distraction, stimulation or perceived control. In a high‑stress environment, those short breaks can become coping habits, and habits can harden into dependency.
“The rise we’re seeing in addictive behaviours is closely linked to the sustained pressure South Africans have been living under for several years now,” says Mugumbate. “When stress becomes chronic, people don’t always look for long‑term solutions. They look for immediate relief, and that’s where these behaviours come in.”
She adds that organisations often underestimate how closely stress, mental health and addictive behaviours are connected in the workplace.
“Addictive behaviour is rarely about the behaviour alone it’s a signal that something deeper is going unmet. In the current environment, many employees feel overwhelmed, financially stretched and emotionally depleted. Employers who want to protect productivity and wellbeing need to understand that prevention, early support and open conversation are far more effective than waiting until patterns become entrenched.”
As economic pressure, uncertainty and emotional fatigue continue to define daily life for many South Africans, the data suggests that addictive behaviours will remain a growing risk where people are left to cope alone. Organisations that recognise these patterns and invest in accessible, stigma‑free support play a critical role in helping employees find healthier ways to manage the weight they are carrying.
