To investigate a potential drug or alcohol crisis situation, the supervisor should ask himself/herself the following questions: What exactly do you see? Does there appear to be illegal activity, policy violations or unusual behavior taking place? Is a group of people involved or a single employee? Are you the direct supervisor to anyone involved in [...]
People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol typically go through predictable stages of abuse. Understanding these stages can help you recognize a problem and seek help before substance use becomes a dependence. Experimentation Alcohol or drug use starts with experimentation or voluntary use. In this stage, the use is infrequent and, in the case [...]
Some people can drink liquor for hours on end and stay sober, while others become tipsy after just one drink. So how can you tell if you or someone else is a problem drinker? "If a person drinks repeatedly and the drinking causes personal, professional or family problems, they may have the disease of alcoholism," [...]
You may not realize that common over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can cause serious side effects. These side effects can put your health at risk and interfere with your everyday activities. Some of these side effects can be felt or sensed by you, but others can't. Side effects you can usually feel are dizziness, drowsiness, double vision, [...]
If substance abuse is contributing to an employee’s poor performance, ignoring or avoiding the issue will not help the situation. An employee’s use of alcohol or drugs may be the root of the performance problem; however, substance abuse on the part of someone close to the employee also could be the source. Regardless, abuse of [...]
Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website for resources to help keep your workplace drug free.
Performance Inconsistent quality of work Poor concentration Lowered productivity Increased absenteeism Unexplained disappearances from the jobsite Carelessness, mistakes Errors in judgment Needless risk taking Disregard for safety Extended lunch periods and early departures Behavior Frequent financial problems Avoidance of friends & colleagues Blaming others for own problems Complaints about problems at home Deterioration of personal appearance [...]
by Eric Brown, Director, Center For Additive Diseases, Main Line Health The word “cure” is not associated with the process of overcoming an addiction. Instead, we refer to the concept of “recovery”, inferring a life long process to avoid the relapse into drug taking behavior. Recovery focuses on avoiding a relapse, such as a change [...]
No matter the addiction—drugs, gambling, shopping, smoking, alcohol or more—people who want to kick their habit in the new year might find help in a new Harvard University publication. "Overcoming Addiction: Paths toward recovery" offers guidance for breaking unwanted addictive habits. The advice applies universally, because what all addictions have in common, the Harvard experts [...]
The leading substance abuse threat to children may be as close as your refrigerator. "Alcohol is far and away the top drug of abuse by America's teens," says Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. "By any public health standard, America has an [...]