Next month (April) is Alcohol Awareness Month, a good time to remind your workers of the dangers of mixing alcohol and work—and of the prohibitions and requirements of your organization’s drugs and alcohol policy.
When many people think of alcohol abusers, they picture teenagers sneaking drinks before high school football games or at unsupervised parties. But the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reminds us that alcohol abuse is prevalent within many demographic groups in the United States. People who abuse alcohol can be:
- College students who binge drink at local bars
- Pregnant women who drink and put their babies at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome
- White-collar or blue-collar workers who drink after a long day of work
- Senior citizens who drink out of loneliness
Is your drugs and alcohol policy up to date? Do you even have one? If not, don’t fret. We do, and it’s already written and ready to use, along with every other safety policy you’re likely to need, in BLR’s new Essential Safety Policies. Examine it at no cost and with no obligation to purchase. Find out more.
In 2003, almost 23 percent of Americans (54 million) participated in binge drinking within 30 days prior to taking SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). That same year, approximately 21.6 million adults abused alcohol or were alcohol dependent.
To recognize the serious problem of alcohol abuse, April is designated “Alcohol Awareness Month.” April 9, 2009, marks the annual observance of National Alcohol Screening Day (NASD). At locations across the United States (mostly college campuses), people can be screened—anonymously—to see if their drinking habits may be risky.Participants who come into a screening site have the opportunity to view an educational presentation and pick up educational materials, such as a questionnaire that screens for risky drinking and dependence. People can also meet one-on-one with a health professional to discuss any concerns. The screenings are free and anonymous. More information is available on the NASD Web page .
Last year, more than 203,000 people participated in NASD activities at more than 5,400 screening sites nationwide—the largest NASD yet.
Warning Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Here is a brief questionnaire you can share with your workers. Answering “Yes” to any of the following questions may indicate a problem with alcohol:
- Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad?
- Does your drinking ever make you late for work?
- Does your drinking worry your family?
- Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won’t?
- Do you ever forget what you did while drinking?
- Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking?
If an employee has a drinking problem, or knows someone who abuses alcohol, you can have them contact SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) at 1-800-729-6686.
Get the safety policies you need without the work. They’re in BLR’s Essential Safety Policies program. Try it at no cost and no risk. Find out how.
Sobering Statistics
The dangers and bottom-line costs of alcohol and drug use in the workplace cannot be overstated. Consider these statistics, gleaned from SAMHSA and other sources:
- Nearly 75 percent of the country’s illicit drug users aged 18 and over are employed.
- Among full-time employed people with a substance-abuse disorder, those aged 18 to 25 have the highest rates.
- Industry groups with the highest prevalence of heavy alcohol use were construction, arts, entertainment and recreation, and mining.
- The major industry groups with the highest prevalence of illicit drug use were accommodations, food services, and construction. Those with the lowest were utilities, educational services, and public administration.
- Substance abusers are 2.5 times more likely to be absent 8 or more days a year than other employees.
- Between 30 and 50 percent of all workers’ compensation claims are related to substance abuse; abusers file 3 to 5 times as many claims as others.
- Substance abusers incur 300 percent higher medical costs than nonabusers.
Tomorrow we’ll show you what federal and state laws and other legal considerations come into play with drugs and alcohol policies (more than you might imagine).