Recovery Plus: reclaiming lives
46 April/May 2017 Address addiction
in the workplace
It has long been the case in our society – and
in particular the workplace – where alcohol
has been an accepted part of ‘doing a deal',
‘entertaining a client', ‘celebrating hitting targets',
‘Boosting staff moral'... any excuse really to crack
open a bottle. But at whose expense? I don’t
mean financial. Yes, of course there is a financial
cost to the individual and the company, but
what about the cost to someone’s health, the
cost to the organisation's reputation and other
negative consequences?
The true costs are often forgotten among the
celebration until something happens where the
spotlight hits the company and the individual.
Could it be because of inappropriate behaviour
at an office party? Has the expenses bill got out
of control? Is an employee more interested in
the alcohol side of the business as opposed to
actually doing business? These points are only a
few of the many that take place in the working
environment today.
In the UK, it is understood that people who are
more likely to become dependent on alcohol
and the heaviest drinkers in our society tend to
be in the working-age bracket. This impacts
heavily on productivity in an organisation, with
up to 17million working days being lost each
year due to alcohol related sickness – at a cost
to employers of £1.7billion and an estimated
cost to the overall economy of £7.3billion.
I have heard many people using the expression ‘a
month off the booze' and carrying out the aim
of a dry month by not consuming any alcohol.
People participating in this could be doing it
because of over indulgence during a particular
festive time of year or to help them look at
their own drinking patterns. The people that I
know who have spoke to me about having a dry
month have said how great they feel, more alert,
motivated, more energy and happier. This is
true, drinking less or no alcohol is going to have
a positive effect on your body and mind, which
ultimately will have a positive effect on those
around you including your family and employers.
Another issue that is becoming more prevalent
in the workplace is the addiction to drugs. For
many people when you mention 'drug addiction',
the automatic assumption is addiction to illicit
drugs like heroin, cocaine, cannabis and any
other illegal drug that is out there. But there is
another drug addiction that has become more
recognised... That is the addiction to prescription
drugs prescribed by a doctor and the addiction
to over-the-counter medication which includes
codeine and dihydrocodeine – for example
Nurofen Plus and similar brands.
There are many white- and blue-collar workers
who can function every day despite their
addiction. Some might not even be aware that
they have an addiction problem because of the
social acceptability round the use of alcohol
and the acceptance around 'respectable' drug
use – again, over-the-counter medication and
medication prescribed by a doctor.
The fact is that chemical dependency can be
costly to any organisation when people are
absent and performance is not at its best. If
drinking or self medication becomes a dominant
Delegates at Jason
Wyse’s presentation
at Recovery Plus will
leave with the ability to:
1. Explain and discuss the
human and business cost of
drug and alcohol use in the
workplace
2. Identify ways to minimise
these costs
3. Enumerate the financial
and human benefits of
investing in drug and
alcohol policies for
prevention and treatment
4. Justify investment in
valuable employees
5. Evidence that you have
carried out best practice.
