Alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace

WHAT IS SUBTANCE ABUSE?

          Drug and alcohol abuse and dependence are terms that are frequently used in all forms of popular media. However, they are often used inappropriately, leading to confusion. In order to discuss the impact of substances on the workplace, these terms first need clarification.

          Substance abuse is a fairly non-specific term, implying that a user of drugs or alcohol continues to use them, despite adverse consequences in the past. Thus, an alcohol abuser may continue to drink despite having caused traffic accidents while impaired. A cocaine abuser may continue to use cocaine despite legal problems related to possession of the substance. At no point do we need to focus on how much substance one is using, but rather we focus on how it affects the abuser´s life and whether the substance continues to be abused.

          Substance dependence is a more advanced stage of substance abuse, in which the chronic abuser may suffer consequences of withdrawal on stopping the abuse. The chronic abuser also develops tolerance to the substance, needing more and more as time passes. Other features of substance dependence include multiple unsuccessful attempts at stopping and giving up on important activities in order to abuse substance.

          As might be expected, it is difficult for researchers to measure all of the possible problems that a substance abuser may face. Therefore, statistics more often reveal how much alcohol users consume. Heavy use of alcohol (defined as consuming five or more drinks per occasion on five or more occasions in the past 30 days) has been used as a conservative estimator of alcohol-related difficulties. In America, 6.6% of full-time employees report such use. Given that this is quite a conservative predictor of alcohol abuse, the potential effect of alcohol on the workplace is staggering. Though the rate of illicit drug use is much lower, 70% of all current adult users of illegal drugs are full-time employees.

How does substance abuse affect workplace?

          In 1992, alcohol and drug abuse had indirect costs due to decreased productivity and absenteeism amounting to $82 billion, of which $67 billion was due to alcohol abuse. How does alcohol abuse lead to such staggering statistics?

          Studies looking at people given alcohol and asked to perform simple tasks have show that even minimal amounts of alcohol can reduce many important job-related skills. Levels of alcohol below the legal limit for driving have been shown to impair motor function and increase willingness to take risks. The "hangover" effects of alcohol reduce the ability to concentrate and retain information even after all traces of alcohol are gone from the blood. Thus, even a small amount of alcohol can go a long way in creating workplace turmoil.

          The problems created by alcohol abuse are evident in the statistics. One survey of CEOs reported that use of alcohol and drugs costs their organizations from 1% to 10% of payroll. This is not surprising, given that absenteeism among problem drinkers is 4 to 8 times greater than the general working population. Even non-alcohol abusing workers who live with alcohol abusers use 10 times as many sick days as workers who do not live with an alcohol abuser.

          Given its tendency to reduce motor skills, it is not surprising that alcohol use leads to reduced safety in the workplace. Up to 40% of industrial deaths and 47% of industrial injuries are linked to alcohol consumption. 21% of workers have reported being injured, put in danger, having to re-do work or needing to work harder due to the alcohol use of co-workers. This is obviously a critical ethical and legal issue in dealing with employees who drive cars or trucks, fly airplanes or operate other heavy machinery and could potentially hurt or kill themselves and others if using substances.

How can/should I detect it in workplace?

          There are two answers to this, depending on your workplace. The first is whether your workplace must include employee drug and alcohol testing as a result of federal laws. The second involves recognition of employee problems as potentially resulting from substance abuse. The second point is important since interventions to confront problem drinking have been shown to improve both substance abuse and job performance.

          The federal department of transportation (DOT) requires that those individuals who operate motorized vehicles as part of their job undergo routine drug screening by the DOT. This involves collecting urine specimens from employees on a routine basis in order to test for alcohol and illicit substances. This federal policy was put in place due to the adverse effects of alcohol and drugs on fine motor skills and the possible disastrous consequences of having impaired operators of large trucks, planes and boats. For further information, the reader should visit the DOT web site (www.dot.gov) or for more specific information on the DOT regulations, phone (202) 366-DRUG.

          Drug testing by a company outside of these DOT tests is not uniformly supported from either a legal or ethical perspective. Though many feel that the risks of employee death and disability due to alcohol and drug abuse outweigh the personal freedoms of employees, legal counsel should always be sought prior to engaging in any sort of investigation for alcohol or drugs. In addition, testing should only be part of a larger approach to substance abuse, as outlined in the last section.

          Outside of formally testing employees, there are many potential ways in which substance abuse may present itself in the workplace. As discussed in the first section, alcohol and drug abuse and dependence cause problems for the abuser. Therefore, any absenteeism, legal, relationship or financial problem may stem from a substance abuse problem. Careful discussion of workplace problems in light of possible substance abuse may lead to earlier identification of the abuse. Once identified, medical attention must be sought, since the treatment usually involves a team of qualified professionals.

How can I reduce substance abuse in the workplace?

Initially, your workplace must find if it is required to be "drug free" or not. In 1988, the Drug-Free Workplace Act stated that all contractors and grantees of federal contracts must maintain and promote a drug free workplace, according to the Drug-Free Workplace Act´s guidelines. Essentially, these guidelines indicate that:

·               All employees must be notified that use or possession of a controlled substance is prohibited and will result in punitive action.

·               A drug-free awareness program must be established, according to specific guidelines.

·               Each employee must receive a copy of the workplace substance abuse policy.

          The Drug-Free Act did not include any mention of non-controlled substances, such as alcohol. As discussed, alcohol forms the majority of costs in substance abuse. Thus, even workplaces that have the Drug-Free Workplace guidelines in place are not necessarily promoting healthier lifestyle approaches to alcohol consumption.

          To this end, the Department of Labor (www.dol.gov) has created a strategy, "Working Partners", aimed at maintaining both an alcohol- and drug-free workplace. This approach targets five steps:

1.           Writing a clear and comprehensive policy

2.           Training your supervisors

3.           Educating your employees

4.           Providing employee assistance, ideally through a comprehensive EAP

5.           Starting a drug-testing program (Before starting any drug-testing program, appropriate legal counsel with a lawyer in your area who understands drug testing and its ramifications is essential.)

          Other sources of local assistance are important, as state legislation on drug testing and local support systems vary. The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (www.nasadad.org) can provide technical assistance to companies developing substance abuse programs. There are also state and local organizations that can provide support to employees suffering from alcohol abuse. A comprehensive source of all information on alcohol and drug abuse is the National Clearinghouse for
Alcohol and Drug Information (www.health.org).

What you need to know:

·               Alcohol and drug abuse is quite prevalent in American workers.

·               Workers who abuse substances are much more likely to be absent from work, have reduced productivity and cause accidents at the worksite.

·               There are federal regulations concerning alcohol and drug abuse, including the Drug-Free Workplace Act and those from the Department of Transportation that must be followed by specified businesses.

·               There are guidelines to help organizations reduce alcohol and drug use by employees. Given the sensitive and personal nature of this disorder, legal counsel is advised before initiating any official workplace policy on alcohol and/or drugs.