It started with him having to drink a few beers in the evening to be able to relax, and to ease the pain in his body. – Then it got so hot that I had to start the day with beer, says the farmer “Hans”. He hid the alcohol in the most unlikely places in the barn. NO COLLEAGUES: “Hans” mostly worked alone. No one smelled the alcohol or saw the beer he hid in his workplace. Illustration: Tom Bob Peru Aronsen / news For few hours in the day It is too difficult for him to come forward with his real name, so we call him “Hans”. The family is aware that he comes forward with his story. Over half his life he worked alone on the farm in central Norway. The work was physically demanding. He was up at 05 in the morning and worked until past midnight. There were too few hours in the day. For ten years he struggled with alcohol. Life as a farmer did not go quite as planned. Now he is in his 50s and disabled. – No one knew how crazy things actually were with me, says the farmer. The economy slumped. The production got so bad that it didn’t go around. – How wrong could it go? – It could have ended in an animal tragedy. DRINK TO RELAX: The pains in his body made the farmer drink beer to dull them and to be able to relax. Photo: Sunniva Skurtveit / news Got help from an unexpected source The farmer mostly worked alone. No one smelled the alcohol or saw the beer he hid in his workplace. But one colleague came by regularly. The vet had to check the conditions. It was he who discovered that something was wrong. – The milk in the tank was so bad that I couldn’t deliver it to the supplier. He was the first one I admitted it to, says “Hans”. Started research project Since its inception in the 60s, Akan had worked with the vast majority of working groups, with the exception of farmers. That caused the alarm to ring at Vestfolding Trygve Fredrik Myhren. Trygve Fredrik Myhren from Akan discovered that they did not reach a single farmer. That started the research. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news – It struck me that during 60 years in Norwegian working life, Akan has not worked in agriculture. Myhren is a senior advisor at Akan. They work with prevention and handling of problematic use of alcohol and drugs in working life. He discovered that treatment institutions had very little had farmers in for treatment. – There was no reason to believe that farmers had fewer problems than the general population. Who will react? Farmers are among the working groups with the lowest sickness absence in Norway. The reason can be as simple as that it is almost impossible to be ill, explains Myhren. – It allows you to stretch far and longer than far, and far too far. There are approximately 20,000 active farms in Norway, and many run for themselves in the form of sole proprietorships. So they don’t have a boss either. – Farmers do not have an employer, unless there is a very large use. If someone in a sole proprietorship gets a problem, who should react? This question prompted Myhren to initiate the research project. The results are clear No one had researched drug and alcohol abuse among farmers until now. For a period of two years, farmers have had to answer questions about drugs and addiction in surveys. Interviews were conducted with farmers, agricultural office employees, veterinarians and health personnel. The results confirm that the problem with drugs is the same for farmers as for the general population. The research also shows that municipal substance abuse services find it challenging to reach out to today’s farmers. More findings from the research project: Accidents on farms and fires increase with problems surrounding addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Many farmers do not get help until it is too late. It can go so far that you have to give up farming. Almost 12% of Norwegian farmers state that they take painkillers to be able to handle the tasks on the farm. 9% of Norwegian farmers say that during the past year they have thought that they should have had professional help to solve psychological challenges. Almost 30% state that they know one or more farmers whose mental health they are concerned about. Source: The results are from a nationwide survey in which over 9,000 farmers responded. Will adapt treatment The research will be used to improve the offer for farmers. But to make it happen, the abuse must be detected earlier, explains researcher Aina Winsvold. FEAR IT IS GOING TOO FAR: Researcher Aina Winsvold says that the healthcare system is experiencing that it often takes too long before farmers get help. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news – The important thing here will be to reach the farmers in an early phase, so that the problem does not escalate. It will also be important to create social arenas that can prevent loneliness, says Winsvold. Several of the farmers taking part in the survey describe the difficulty in getting help to go into treatment. So does “Hans”. After one year of treatment, he had to pay for a replacement out of his own pocket. He thinks that is too bad. He is not alone in feeling this way, says researcher Winsvold. – Many report that they face major challenges in getting a replacement and help from NAV. If, for example, they fall ill or need to be away from the farm, or if they have to go in for treatment, says Winsvold. The researcher believes that the system around farmers does not work satisfactorily as it is today. – They depend on friends and acquaintances to get the necessary help. But not everyone has a network. Everyone can face problems in their work situation, and room must be made for farmers to do so too. Needs to be improved Precisely the replacement scheme is a very important issue during this year’s agricultural settlement for the Norwegian Farmers’ Association. REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT: Astrid Solberg in the farmers’ association agrees that the replacement scheme does not work well enough as it is today. Photo: Pressefoto / Norges Bondelag – The subsidy the farmer receives to cover the costs of using substitutes, and the access to substitutes, must be improved, says Astrid Solberg. She is organizational manager in the farmers’ association. – Do you see the need to negotiate better welfare arrangements? – Yes. For this year’s agricultural negotiations, one of the requirements is to investigate the possibility of extending the replacement subsidy in case of illness beyond 1 year, says Solberg. The state has not yet given them an answer as to what they will be put through. Therapy was the rescue It is Blue Cross that is the project owner in the research and development project. They do not think they are reaching farmers who have a need for treatment to a sufficient extent. WANT TO REACH THE FARMERS: Åse Prestvik at the Blue Cross clinic Lade in Trondheim wants to reach the farmers better. Photo: Veslemøy Prøis / news – We want to do something about that, says Åse Prestvik. She is quality and development manager at the Lade clinic in Trondheim. Going forward, Blue Cross wants to spread the message that customized treatment is possible. – Our goal is for farmers and their relatives to face fewer obstacles, and receive customized treatment and follow-up, says quality and development manager Åse Prestvik. ADAPTED THERAPY: When the farmer “Hans” was to receive treatment for his alcohol problems, he received treatment that was adapted to the farm. Photo: Tom Bob Peru Aronsen / news After the abuse was discovered, “Hans” also received treatment. It had to be adapted to the farm at home. – It has been my salvation. I don’t think I would be sitting here today otherwise – if I hadn’t gotten help, says the farmer. Now life has changed for the better for “Hans”. – The difference is hideous. Now it’s actually nice to be in the barn again and we have everything in order. The cows deliver milk by the liter. Hi! Do you have opinions on the matter, or know of something else I should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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New research on drugs and alcohol abuse among farmers – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
