Helping addicted colleagues professionally to recover: Taking action sooner that latter to help

Helping addicted colleagues struggling with substance abuse is a step in the right direction to solving the bigger problem of addiction

When it comes to helping addicted colleagues professionally to recover, you may be mistaken for trying to fix your coworker for your own selfish reasons. This is highly possible because in many institutions drug abuse is a violation of rules and summery dismissal is the ultimate remedy. Because of this many may choose just to watch their colleague sink into destruction. However, is this really the best you can do? Certainly no, because there are actually better ways of approaching issues of this magnitude and those are some of the points we want the experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to help us address as we progress into the discussion. From the expert point of view, doctor Dalal Akoury who is the founder of this facility registers that anyone who has ever observed and is knowledgeable of whether a friend is addicted to drugs or not, will definitely know that a person who is struggling with drug abuse or is addicted to drugs will often manifest certain behaviors in the workplace that indicate the existence of a looming problem. The signs may be diverse and many including consistent absenteeism at work or being late, not getting work done, being belligerent or a wide range of other behavioral issues. Having the knowledge of some of these behaviors is very important if you were to impact positively in the life of your colleague. Therefore some of those behaviors may include hyperactive or manic activity, slurring speech, neglect of personal hygiene, acting paranoid, overreacting to correction or suggestions, ignoring others and confusion.

Besides these issues if you have a coworker who is also a drug addict, there is great danger not just for himself or herself but also to the fellow colleagues at the work station since such a colleague is up to five times more likely to cause an accident at work station than one who is not using any drug. Doctor Akoury agrees that from the available statistics there are many effects of drug abuse on society and drugs play a role in an estimated 40% of all on-the-job worker fatalities. These statistics communicates is that it is very important to recognize potential co-worker drug abuse to protect the safety of everyone who works with him or her. It therefore means that the fear of keeping quiet on account of your friend being sacked because that (drug use at work station) is a violation of the organizations policies can be very disastrous because the consequences may be very fatal. In line of that, let us get to some specific action points if you have a coworker who is a drug addict. The question you should first address would be how should you respond in such circumstances? And what are some of the options do you have when you believe co-worker drug abuse is occurring? Stay tuned and invite a friend on the link as we explore on these facts together so that we can deliver safety in all our work stations and beyond.

Helping addicted colleagues professionally to recover: Responding to a co-worker drug abuse problem

Responding to a co-worker drug addiction problem must be done with a lot of sobriety and without any element of malice. Remember that the intention is to help and not to victimize with a view of being punished. We must therefore be very sober when we want to respond to such situations otherwise we may only succeed in escalating the problem than it is right now. Why are we emphasizing on sobriety and honesty in this, it is because this colleague is sick and sick people needs help not punishment. If this any rush decision is taken and the staff is fired, he will get stressed, depressed and become even more vulnerable to use more of the substance in question. With that in mind if you have any reason to believe that you are working with a coworker who is struggling with drug addiction, the very first thing to do is to approach your immediate boss or supervisor with this issue. This is a good idea even if you are the person’s supervisor. Be open with your boss and share freely all your concerns with the supervisor in charge and explain to them your observations as to why you have these feeling about your colleague. Be as direct to the point as possible and point out very specific instances which is making you believe that the individual was displaying potential drug-related behavior. As we had said before, this is a health issue and not an offence that will subject your colleague to some disciplinary action. You must therefore show utmost concern rather than simply making accusations says doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and President of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

After this communication to your seniors, the next point of action now lies with your bosses. And like we have already mentioned, the objective is to help by offering treatment that will deliver sobriety in good time. The supervisor will analyze the details of the information given privately and professionally before making any decision. If in their own wisdom the supervisors agrees that there is some element of a developing addiction or the staff is already fully addicted to the substance meaning that there is cause for legitimate concern, then and only then should the individual be confronted in private by his or her immediate supervisor and one or two others. Remember that this confrontation is going to be a cordial one in line with the main objective of saving lives. It is therefore very important to demonstrate a supportive rather than threatening attitude in order to encourage the worker to be forthright about a potential problem and seek drug addiction treatment.

Doctor Akoury is stressing that getting a breakthrough will depend highly on the approach you give on breaking the news to the victim. At this point a lot of support will be needed to help the addicted colleague come to terms with this news. This is so because in many instances they themselves are not even aware that they have a problem and therefore the prospect of denial may be very high. Nonetheless when you succeed in helping addicted colleagues professionally to recover by first coming into terms with their new development, the next hurdle will be co convince him or her to consent for treatment. Many people often don’t see the need for treatment. However when that is achieved it is important to note that most companies have clearly-defined responses to co-worker drug abuse. The guidelines may offer a leave of absence to get treatment or help in paying for the treatment. The key is to address the issue and encourage the person who may have the problem to seek the drug abuse treatment that is now readily available at the home of addiction solutions at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. You can reach this facility by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for further clarifications on all the pending concerns you may be having.