Tag Archives: Alcohol Abuse

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

NATIONAL ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH

As promised, we want to pass on some information regarding April being National Alcohol Awareness Month.  One of the reasons for this month being chosen is that many schools hold their proms in April, and the consequences of underage drinking need to be stressed to both parents and students.
Addiction to alcohol and drugs is not limited to young people, however.  Drug and alcohol dependence are America’s #1 health problem.  There are more deaths and disabilities each year in the United States from substance abuse than any other cause: more than eighteen million Americans have alcohol problems and between five and six million have drug problems.

Statistics from the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence show that almost one-half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.  Costs of more than $276 billion per year in lost productivity, crime, traffic crashes, health care expenses and other conditions are attributed to these addictions.  Untreated addiction is more expensive than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.
Families and coworkers play an important in convincing persons with these types of problems to get help.  Treatment improves health, job performance, and family cohesiveness.  When persons work with or live with someone who abuses alcohol or drugs, their safety and well-being are at risk.

Documentation from the Comprehensive Assessment Treatment Outcomes Registry in Ohio shows the following drastic results in occupational problems after treatment:

  • Tardiness decreased by 92%
  • Problems with supervisor decreased by 56%
  • Mistakes in work decreased by 70%
  • Incomplete work decreased by 81%
  • Absenteeism decreased by 89%

There are many places one can turn to for help.  Call: Substance Abuse Treatment Locator, 1-800-662 HELP, or www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov.  If you or someone you know needs to deal with this issue, this may be the best call you or they ever made.

Sources:
NCADD
USDHHS
SAMHSA

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

FACTS ABOUT DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IN THE WORKPLACE

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In an earlier installment on our website, we talked about ways to recognize and do something about coworkers that have problems with alcohol and drugs.  Here are some of the staggering facts:
In the United States:

  • One out of every 10 people has an alcohol problem;
  • There are more than 50 million binge drinkers;
  • There are 17 million illegal drug users;
  • Almost 15 million people  who abuse prescription drugs are out there;
  • Approximately 68% of illegal drug users are employed either full-time or part-time. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
  • Between 10% and 20% of our nation’s workers who die on the job test positive for alcohol or other drugs. (OSHA)

Do you know or work with someone who would be included in the above figures?  Persons who have a problem with drugs or alcohol are costly to employers, because of being less productive.  They are likely to hurt themselves or someone else.  They normally miss more work days, file more worker’s compensation claims, or damage equipment by making errors in judgment.

If you know someone who might have a problem with drugs or alcohol, you will hurt them more by ignoring their problem, doing their job, lending them money, or covering up for them.  Don’t enable them.  Most companies have Employee Assistance Programs, ensuring that their employees can get treatment without penalty.  If they have a serious addiction problem, they should be encouraged to get help.  After successful therapy, everyone wins in this situation: the employee, the company, and the coworkers!

There also should be policies against drug use in the workplace, with firm consequences for violations.  If appropriate, drug testing should be utilized.  If your company doesn’t have a program of this type, work with your security office or employee association to set up an anonymous hotline for reporting drug trafficking on the job.

OSHA works with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Partners for An Alcohol and Drug Free Workplace program to help employers ensure their health and safety plans are enhanced through workplace drug prevention.

www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov