Consequences of Drug Usage at Work

The goal for many is to find and keep a job in the increasingly competitive global employment market. Most people who work a full-time job look forward to their time off to unwind with a drink or two or five. An intervention is required when such people rely on that strategy to deal with the stress of their jobs and when their excessive drinking and drug usage impairs their productivity.

Hampered productivity

Abuse of drugs or alcohol can negatively impact the workplace in several ways. The reasons a business would spend money promoting preventative programs and educating employees about substance addiction include absences from work, hostile conduct, accidents, sleeping on the job, and low productivity. If an employee’s substance misuse problem continues unrecognized, many of these negative effects cost the business thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Depending on the type of job, being drunk can put employees in danger. If sedatives are being misused, this can impair one’s ability to drive or operate heavy equipment.

Use of performance-enhancing drugs

Abuse of alcohol may have an impact on a person’s mood or reactions to their surroundings. Their ability to perform their job may be impacted by their inability to speak, their mobility, or their comprehension of the information. The severity of an individual’s addiction may not negatively affect their performance if they are using a medication like Adderall that improves performance, but it may hurt their general well-being. Some indications that someone is abusing performance-enhancing drugs include psychotic behavior, sleeplessness, and excessive weight loss.

Intervention

The ideal outcome is for the person to consent to attend a program to get clean and regain control of their life. The only remaining task for the team is to personally accompany the subject for alcohol withdrawal, and assist them with the enrollment paperwork and other things.