Transcript Employee Education

Employee Education
Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace
Impact of Substance Abuse in
the Workplace

Employee health
 Productivity
 Decision making
 Safety
 Employee morale
 Security
 Organizational image and community
relations
How common are alcohol-related
problems in businesses in the
Manufacturing sector?
For every 1000 employees:

Likely number of problem drinkers:

Likely # of family members who are problem drinkers: 127

Likely number of work days lost to sickness, injury, and absence
because of problem drinking every year: 541

Likely number of work days of lowered productivity associated with
alcohol use each year:
323

Likely number of extra nights spent in the hospital by employees and
their family members each year: 53

Likely number of extra emergency room visits by employees and
their families each year: 38
65
How much do alcohol-related problems cost
businesses in the Manufacturing sector?
For every 1,000 employees each year:

Work days lost to sickness, injury, and absence because of
problem drinking: $67,486

Work days with lowered productivity associated with
alcohol use: $8,053

Extra nights spent in the hospital by employees and their
families: $64,151

Extra emergency room visits by employees and their
families: $22,708

Extra health care costs to employers and employees for
treatment of alcohol-related health problems: $265,762
From: Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems , George Washington Univ. Med Center
Ways that People Use Alcohol
and Other Drugs
Use:

Experimentation

Social/Recreational
 As
a stress reliever
Abuse:
Using a substance to modify or control mood or state
of mind in a manner that is illegal or harmful to
oneself or others.
Potential consequences of abuse include:
 Accidents or injuries
 Blackouts
 Legal problems
 Poor job performance
 Family problems
 Sexual behavior that increases the risk of
HIV infection
Addiction:
The irresistible compulsion to seek or use
alcohol and other drugs despite adverse
social, psychological, or physical
consequences.
It is characterized by:
repeated
failures to control use,
physical dependence,
withdrawal symptoms,
increased tolerance, and
increased disruption in personal, family, or
work life.
Understanding Addiction

For one in ten people, abuse leads to addiction.
 3/4 of those who use illegal drugs also work.
Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is:
 Chronic
 Progressive
 Primary
 Terminal
 Characterized by denial.
Risk of addiction:

Addiction is a family disease
 Prior abuse of alcohol and other drugs
 Other contributing factors.
Signs and Symptoms of
Substance Abuse
Abuse of alcohol and other drugs
affects people:

Emotionally
 Behaviorally
 Physically
Emotional effects of
substance abuse:

Aggression
 Burnout
 Anxiety
 Paranoia
 Depression
 Denial.
Behavioral effects of
substance abuse:

Slow reaction time
 Impaired coordination
 Slowed or slurred speech
 Irritability
 Excessive talking
 Inability to sit still
 Limited attention span
 Poor motivation or lack of energy.
Physical effects of substance
abuse:






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
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Weight loss
Sweating
Chills
Dilated pupils or bloodshot eyes
Slurred speech
Unsteady movements
Drowsiness, lethargy
Disorientation
Odor.
Family and Coworker Impact
Enabling:

Action that someone takes to protect the person
with the problem from the consequences of his or
her actions.
 Unfortunately, enabling actually helps the person
to NOT deal with his or her problem.
Examples of enabling:

Covering Up
 Rationalizing
 Withdrawing/Avoiding
 Blaming
 Controlling
 Threatening.
Examples of traps family members and
coworkers may fall into when confronting
the person with a problem:

Sympathy
 Excuses
 Apology
 Diversions

Innocence
 Anger
 Pity
 Tears.
Specific Drugs of Abuse

Alcohol
 Marijuana
 Cocaine
 Stimulants/ Depressants
 Hallucinogens
 Narcotics
ALCOHOL
Also known as:
Booze, Juice, Brew, Vino, Sauce
You probably know why
alcohol is abused

Relaxation

Sociability

Cheap High
ALCOHOL

But did you know that 




Alcohol is a depressant that decreases the responses
of the central nervous system
Excessive drinking can cause liver damage and
psychotic behavior
As little as two beers or drinks can impair
coordination and thinking
Alcohol is often used by substance abusers to
enhance the effects of other drugs
Alcohol continues to be the most frequently abused
substance among young adults.
ALCOHOL

Additional Health effects of Alcohol:

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Decreased sexual functioning
Liver disease
Increased cancers of the mouth, tongue, pharynx,
esophagus, rectum, breast and skin
Kidney disease
Ulcers
Spontaneous abortion
Birth defects – leading cause of preventable
retardation.
MARIJUANA
Also known as:
Pot, Grass, Joints, Roaches, Reefer, Weed, Mary Jane
You probably know why
marijuana is abused 
Relaxation

Euphoria
MARIJUANA
But did you know that –



Marijuana may cause impaired short-term memory,
a shortened attention span and delayed reflexes
Marijuana may cause relaxed inhibitions,
disoriented behavior
Health effects:
 Emphysema-like symptoms
 Respiratory track and sinus infections
 Lowered immune system response
 During pregnancy, marijuana may cause birth
defects
 Marijuana may cause a fast heart rate and pulse.
COCAINE
Also known as:
Coke, Dust, Snow, Flake, Blow, Girl
You probably know why
cocaine is abused –

Carefree Feeling

Euphoria

Relaxation

In control
COCAINE
But did you know that –

Cocaine use may cause severe "mood swings" and
irritability.

You need more and more cocaine each time you
want a "high"

Cocaine increases your blood pressure and heart rate
particularly dangerous if you have a heart condition

One use can cause death! (By Cardiac Arrest or
Respiratory failure)

Preparation of freebase, which involves the use of
volatile solvents, can result in death or injury from
fire or explosion

Possession and use are illegal.
CRACK
Also known as
Crack, "Crack cocaine", Freebase rocks, Rock

You probably know
why crack is abused –

Quick high

Power

Euphoria
CRACK

But did you know that –

Crack is almost instantly addictive

One use could cause a fatal heart attack

Repeated use may cause insomnia, hallucinations,
seizures, paranoia

The euphoric effects of crack last only a few minutes

Crack possession and use are illegal in all fifty states

There are more hospitalizations per year resulting
from crack and cocaine use than any other illicit
substance.
Methamphetamine
Also known as:
Meth, Crystal, Crank, Ice

You probably know
why meth is abused –

Temporary mood
elevation

Exhilaration (high)

Increased mental
alertness

Upper-increase
wakefulness
ICE - Methamphetamines

But did you know that –

Ice is extremely addictive - sometimes with just one
use!

Ice can cause convulsions, heart irregularities, high
blood pressure, depression, restlessness, tremors,
severe fatigue

An overdose can cause coma and death

When you stop using ice you may experience a deep
depression

Ice causes a very jittery high, along with anxiety,
insomnia, sometimes paranoia.
HALLUCINOGENS
LSD (Acid, Red/Green Dragon), Ecstasy (designer drug)_ PCP
(Angel Dust, Loveboat)
PCP & Cocaine (Beam me up Scottie), Mescaline l Psilocybin

You probably know
why hallucinogens are
abused –

Fun

Stimulation or
depression

Behavioral changes
HALLUCINOGENS

But did you know that –

One use of LSD or PCP can cause multiple and dramatic
behavioral changes

Large doses of hallucinogens may cause convulsions and
coma, ruptured blood vessels in the brain, irreversible
brain damage, and heart or lung failure

Many hallucinogens cause unpleasant and potentially
dangerous "flashbacks," long after the drug was used

Most hallucinogens cause "hallucinations" i.e., changes in
perception of time, smell, touch, etc.
Narcotics
Narcotic analgesics include Opium, Opiates (morphine,
codeine, percodan, heroin and dilaudid) and Opioids
(synthetic substitutes such as vicodin, darvon, demerol,
oxycontin and methadone)

Health effects:



Tolerance to narcotics develops rapidly and
addiction is likely
The use of contaminated syringes may result in
diseases such as HIV/AIDS, endocarditis and
hepatitis
Addiction in pregnant women can lead to premature,
stillborn or addicted infants who experience severe
withdrawal symptoms.
Assistance
Things to remember:

Difficulty performing on the job can sometimes be
caused by unrecognized personal problems including addiction to alcohol and other drugs
 Help is available
 Although a supervisor may suspect that an
employee’s performance is poor because of
underlying personal problems, it is up to the
employee to decide whether or not that is the case
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM (EAP)

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Addiction is treatable and reversible
Help is available
An employee’s decision to seek help is a private
one and will not be made public
An EAP can help employees decide what to do if
they or someone in his family or workgroup has a
problem with alcohol or other drugs
Conversations with an EAP are confidential
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM (EAP)

An EAP can help employees decide what to do
if they have a problem with alcohol or other
drugs
 An EAP also can help an employee decide
what to do if someone in his/her family or
workgroup has a problem
 Conversations with an EAP are confidential
Additional EAP, Mental Health
and Community Resources:

Private counselors or therapists
 Addiction treatment centers
 Community hotlines
 Self-help groups such as Alcoholics
Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous,
Al-Anon, etc.