Drug Addiction at work place-Dangers discussed

Addiction does not spear people in the employment either

In the beginning when God first created man he planned and put everything in place for man to be comfortable in the first Garden of Eden. Man was to live like a king with plenty around him all he needed to do was to manage and care for what had been given to him. This is not so in today’s life where one has to work to earn a living. Ironically the most of the work we do are not our own we work in other people establishments be it the public sector or the private sector, in other words we are employees of somebody.

Drug Addiction at work place-Statistics of addiction

There are various challenges we go through at various work places ranging from positive to negative challenges. It is in this respect that we want to discuss one of the most challenging occurrences at work place in today’s society. Dear readers remain in the link because we want to talk about drug addiction at our work stations or places. But before we embark on this journey let us look at some of the statistics according to the American Council for Drug Education. According to this body sixty percent of the world’s illegal drugs are consumed by American drug users. Two million Americans use heroin, six million use cocaine, 18 million have alcohol abuse problems and an estimated 23 million people use marijuana at least four times in a week interesting.

Of all drug users, 74.8 percent are employed and active in the workplace. This means that 12.9 million individuals actively use drugs in the workforce, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Using drugs impairs decision-making abilities as well as physically impairs people. This is a deadly concoction when on the job. In fact, between 10 and 20 percent of American workers who die at work have a positive result when tested for drugs or alcohol a study by OSHA states that the most dangerous occupations, such as mining and construction, also have the highest rates of drug use by their employees.

Drug Addiction at work place-Addiction causes financial losses

With that background of addiction and statistics you will notice that addiction is not just a problem of the less fortunate in the society or illiterate individuals but a problem for all people alike. When employees abuse drugs at their work stations or elsewhere they cause their employers great losses and by extension the national treasurer’s kitty. The kinds of losses employers’ incur are not just monetary but also on the best performing work force. Such employees are said to be poor quality employees because of some of the following:

They have poor work performance and are not reliable in their deliverables.
They are never at work place in time and lose a lot of production hours in the process.
Because of the risk associated with drug addiction they tend to involve in accidents and filing workers compensation claims and benefits which pull down the organization profitability.

Drug Addiction at work place-Prevention of drug addiction at work place

The organization must put testing mechanism for employees at the point of admission.
The testing program should be continuous and must be known to the employees that the organization will be doing this say twice every year. Offenders of drugs addiction will be punished according to the company’s regulations.
Employers must also put systems in place that work toward staff motivation a well-motivated employee may not have the time to indulge in drugs.
The work place must be free from accident risk factors, for example efforts should be made to ensure that floors are not sleeper at all cost.
Financial systems must be in place to ensure that cash is not used in making payments. Other non-cash payments methods should be adopted to discourage theft of cash for the purpose of purchase of drugs.
Luck of knowledge is a serious threat to well-being of employees therefore periodic staff training on drug addiction prevention and treatment would be necessary in an organization.

The cost of maintaining an addicted employee would be too costly than implementing the preventive measures. When proper preventive measures are in then they provide a safer environment for employers as well as increase the productivity of existing employees, which boosts revenue and profit margin.

Drug Addiction at work place-How to know if someone is abusing Drugs

Drugs affect people differently and keen measures must be in place to ensure that signs of common illnesses are not confused with addiction.
Employees who frequently have accidents, exhibit erratic behavior, and have dilated pupils or slurred speech may be exhibiting signs of intoxication.
Extreme mood swings, paranoia, glassy eyes and noticeable exhaustion are also signs of drug abuse.
Frequent absenteeism is another sign of drug use.

Drug Addiction at work place-What to Do if You Suspect Someone Is Using Illegal Substances

If you feel that someone in your workplace is using illegal substances you must report this to your superiors immediately e.g. manager, supervisor, a security officer or human resource officer.
You can do this privately or outside of work if it makes you more comfortable.
Never feel that you are risking a coworker’s job by reporting doing this is the biggest reason that employees withhold their suspicious, and this is a deadly mistake.
By not telling someone, you are contributing to the likelihood that an accident will occur.
Reporting your suspicions could also force the addict to seek treatment.

Finally we need everybody on board in the fight of drug addiction at work place to effectively do this we will need the involvement of experience experts like Dr. Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. The opinion of such professionals is very important as they will help your employees stay away from drugs. Doctor Dalal and her team of experts will help your employees realize their lives back by offering then exclusive NER Recovery Treatment which will ensure that your productivity is restored and profit margins increased when you finally have a sober work force.