AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO DRUG INTERVENTION

An employee whose drug use has become problematic may not necessarily show signs of dysfunctional behavior until the problem has become so chronic that it’s impossible to hide it from others, and unless an Employer has had some sort of personal experience with the disease of Addiction such an employee can continue to hide his addiction until it’s too late to effect a meaningful intervention.

Prior to the establishment of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Centre at the Caura Hospital in the early 1980s,  the Alcoholic Treatment Centre at St. Ann’s Hospital was the only recognized residential treatment facility in Trinidad and Tobago for persons with the disease of addiction.

It is not by chance that the most effective treatment modality then as it is now was to combine medical and psychological treatment with peer counselling by recovering alcoholics.

The success of this method to which Trinidad and Tobago and indeed the wider Caribbean nations owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to world renowned psychiatrist Professor Michael Beaubrun, paved the way for the expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous in Trinidad and Tobago and the healing of thousands of men and women who are even today functioning in some of the highest positions in Government and Industry.

This treatment modality recognized the wisdom as recommended by Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous, of “one addict talking to another as being without parallel, as one addict could best understand and help another addict.”

 It is therefore unfortunate that with each new generation there are those who would attempt to   re-invent the wheel; so much so that I have met many influential persons in Trinidad and Tobago, Brooklyn and Syracuse who are still stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the significance of these peer support systems.

They prefer instead to rely mainly on the advice of those whose knowledge of addiction is theoretical and whose effectiveness as Counselors for this special group is hampered either by their expectations of miraculous recoveries or by their stigmatization of the affected individual.

This shortsightedness reveals a lack of understanding of the disease of addiction and will continue to do persons in desperate need of assistance great harm until the majority of treatment Providers see addiction for what it really is– an illness of the spirit, mind and body that can be successfully treated once there is an appropriate intervention which includes significant long term peer support.

Today there are several non-governmental organizations staffed by persons whose in-depth knowledge of their disease and   their commitment to recovery are making a difference to their own and to their clients continued recovery.

Higher education or lack thereof is in no way an advantage or impediment to the effectiveness of these individuals as being role models to persons with the disease of addiction who see in their successes their own hope of salvation, while they learn from them the secrets to staying clean.

These individuals and/or “Rehab” centers are not and do not consider themselves to be in competition with treatment professionals or with State owned or any other residential treatment centers as some may mistakenly believe, but it is for them the best way of staying clean, as their personal recovery depend on helping those who still suffer.

My own experience with recovering persons began in 1977 and the knowledge gained from continuous interactions with persons with the disease of addiction helped me to present my Company as a viable alternative to other recognized facilities.  We have therefore used this treatment modality with unparalleled success since 1994 with many of our clients adding to the number of recovered individuals who have joined the ranks of A.A. and N.A., forming new groups or reviving dormant ones in the process while becoming ideal employees and/or supervisors themselves. 

Human Resource Officers, Trade Unions, and Employees Assistance Programmes practitioners would be well advised to recognize the invaluable contributions these recovered individuals make to the workplace if they are to make a difference to those they are committed to serve.

Clients coming into our facility learn one truth very early which is “If you don’t drink, you cannot get drunk”.


 Eric Ribeiro is a certified Addiction Counsellor and  EAP Practitioner .