DRUG PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION POLICIES FOR EMPLOYERS

Few employees would care to admit to having an obsessive/compulsive disorder as the admission may mean having to seek treatment for a psychological problem and lose whatever opportunities there may be in their chosen profession. Yet an obsessive /compulsive disorder is just what drives an individual to excess in the use of alcohol and other drugs, gambling away their lives savings, gaining tremendous weight by over-eating, or spending hours playing computer games or scanning pornographic sites.

From this perspective the term addiction would apply to anything for which we can develop a dependence that may cause us to lose focus of that which really is important. But because the word “addict” immediately conjures up frightening images of debauchery and destitution it prevents many an individual from acknowledging that they too may have an addictive personality of the same magnitude as these individuals.

Employers would be well advised therefore to include a drug prevention and intervention policy to limit the opportunities for alcohol use within the workplace and to have educational programs that speak to the use of alcohol and other drugs which tends to slow productivity, create embarrassing memories, and trigger absenteeism from those who may suffer hangovers after they have over-indulged in the free drinks.

They would also be well advised in seeking to protect their investments to also reduce the risks associated with thefts and industrial accidents from workers whose work performance have deteriorated without any visible cause but whose behaviour patterns have changed over-time, as according to Narcotics Anonymous, the individual who has succumbed to the disease of addiction spends every waking moment  consumed with the thought of drugs, the getting and using and finding ways and means to get more.  And what better place to satisfy that craving but in the workplace where opportunities abound for secreting away anything of value that can be sold to satisfy that need.

However small your business is therefore, Security must become your number one priority and the value of identifying the appropriate security vendor must become as important as hiring an independent Auditor to verify your Accountant’s figures or ensuring the Security firm you use has a record of service excellence. You do not want to become another statistic in the graveyard of “Businesses that could have made it big”!

Your job is to ensure your business is successful.

WORKPLACE CONSULTANTS(1994) TRINIDAD

Eric Ribeiro
EAP/Addictions Consultant
Executive Director