Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Employee Training

1
Outline
1. Objectives & Overview

2. Impact of substance
abuse

3. Understanding
Substance Abuse &
Addiction

4. Signs and symptoms of

substance abuse

2
Outline

5. Family and coworker

impact

6. Assistance

7. Confidentiality

8. Specific drugs of abuse

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Objectives & Overview

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Objectives
Employees should understand:

• The requirements of the policy

• The facts about alcohol & drug abuse
• The impact alcohol & drugs have on the
workplace
• How to recognize the link between poor
performance and alcohol/drug abuse
• The progression of addiction
• What types of assistance may be available

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Drug-Free Workplace Policy

Accomplishes two major things:

1. Sends a clear message that

use of alcohol and drugs in
the workplace is prohibited

2. Encourages employees
who have problems with
alcohol and other drugs
to voluntarily seek help
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Drug Program

• Comprehensive drug free

workforce approach should include
these components:
- Policy
- Supervisor training
- Employee education
- Employee assistance
- Drug testing

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Drug-Free Workplace Policy

• Policy exists to:

- Protect the health & safety of all
employees, customers and the public
- Safeguard employer assets from theft and
destruction
- Protect trade secrets
- Maintain product quality, company
Integrity & reputation
- Comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act

of 1988 and/or any other applicable laws

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Drug-Free Workplace Policy
• Policy should answer:

- What is the purpose of the policy and

program?
- Who is covered by the policy?
- When does the policy apply?
- What behavior is prohibited?
- Are employees required to notify supervisors
of drug-related convictions?
- Does the policy include searches?
- Does the program include drug testing?

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Drug-Free Workplace Policy

 What are the consequences for violating the policy?

 Are there Return-to-Work Agreements?
 What type of assistance is available to employees?
 How is employee confidentiality protected?
 Who is responsible for enforcing the policy?
 How is the policy communicated to employees?

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Impacts of Substance Abuse

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Impacts of Substance Abuse

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Employee Health
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Why Use?

Initially the first use may occur in a social setting

where it is acceptable to utilize alcohol or drugs.
Or it can be a prescribed medication by a doctor.
But it is the initial use or exposure.

• Experimentation

• Social or Recreational

• Stress Reliever

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Understanding Substance
Abuse & Addiction

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Abuse
The use of a substance to modify or control
mood or state of mind in a manner that is
illegal or harmful to oneself or others.

Potential consequences of abuse include:

• Accidents or injuries
• Blackouts
• Legal problems
• Poor job performance
• Family problems
• Sexual behavior that increases the

risk of HIV infection

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Addiction

The irresistible compulsion to use alcohol &

other drugs despite consequences.

It is characterized by repeated failures to

control use, increased tolerance and increased
disruption in the family.

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Understanding Addiction

For 1 in 10 people, abuse leads to addiction.

Addiction to alcohol and other drugs is:

Chronic
Progressive
Primary
Terminal

Characterized by denial 1 in 10 – Who?

Data from DOL: Working Partners for an Alcohol & Drug Free Workplace

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Risk of Addiction:
• Addiction is a family disease
- Susceptible to developing problems
w/addiction
- Both a heredity and a learned behavior

• Prior abuse of alcohol and other drugs

- Pattern of abuse can lead to addiction &
psychological dependence
- Slow or for some a rapid decline

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Risk of Addiction:

• Other contributing factors

- Part of a self destructive lifestyle
- Relief from depression or crisis in their lives
- Some develop a serious problem before they
realize it

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Signs & Symptoms

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General Signs

• Abrupt changes in attendance, quality of work,

and production
• Unusual outbreaks of temper
• Changes in their mood
• Acting paranoid or confused
• Not taking responsibility for their actions
• Change in attitude
• Withdrawing from family & friends

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Signs of Addition

Common performance problems may include:

 Poor attendance
• Tardiness
• Unexplained absences
• Long lunches

 Co-workers or customer complaints

 Mistakes
 Missed deadlines

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Substance Abuse

When someone has an addition or abuses alcohol

and other drugs it affects themselves as well as
other people around them:

• Emotionally

• Behaviorally

• Physically

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Emotional Effects

• Aggression

• Burnout

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Paranoia

• Denial

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Behavioral Effects

• Slow reaction time

• Impaired coordination

• Slowed or slurred speech

• Irritability

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Behavioral Effects

• Excessive talking

• Inability to sit still

• Limited attention span

• Poor motivation or lack of energy

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Physical Effects

• Weight loss

• Sweating

• Chills

• Smell of alcohol

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Family & Co-worker

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Enabling

Actions you take, that may protect the employee

from the consequences of their behavior. Thus it
helps the employee to NOT deal with the problem.

Examples of enabling:

 Covering Up  Blaming
 Rationalizing  Controlling
 Withdrawing/Avoiding  Threatening

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Family & Coworker Traps

We can all fall into these traps without realizing

what they are. Here are a few:

• Sympathy • Innocence

• Excuses • Anger

• Apology • Pity

• Diversions • Tears

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Assistance

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Assistance
Things to consider:

• Difficulty performing on the job can sometimes

be caused by unrecognized personal problems;
including addiction to alcohol and other drugs

• Help is available

• Although a supervisor may suspect that an

employee’s performance is poor because of
personal problems, it is up to the employee to
decide whether or not that is the case

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Assistance
• It is an employee’s responsibility to decide
whether or not to seek help

• Addiction is treatable and reversible

• An employee’s decision to seek help is a

private one and will not be made public

CONFIDENTIAL
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EAP services

• An Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

can help employees decide what to do if

they have a problem with alcohol or

other drugs

• An EAP also can help an employee

decide
what to do if someone in his/her family
or workgroup has a problem

• Conversations with an EAP are

confidential
PPT-038-01 34
There is Help

• Talk to a supervisor
• Employee Assistance
Programs
• Health care programs
• Outside agencies:
- Community hotlines
- Community mental health

centers

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Confidentiality

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Confidentiality

• Problems will not be made public

• Conversations with an EAP professional - or
other
referral agent - are private and will be protected
• All information related to performance issues will

be maintained in his/her personnel file

• Information about referral to treatment,
I A L
EN T
however, will be kept separately

N F I D
C O
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Confidentiality

• Information about treatment for addiction or

mental illness is not a matter of public record
and
cannot be shared without a signed release from
the employee

• If an employee chooses to tell coworkers about

their private concerns, that is their decisions

• When an employee tells his/her supervisor

something in confidence, supervisors are
obligated
to protect that disclosure
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Confidentiality

 EAP records are separate from personnel

records and can be accessed only with a
signed release from the employee

 EAP professionals are bound by a code of

ethics to protect the confidentiality of the
employees and family members that they
serve

 There are clear limits on when and what

information an EAP professional can share
and with whom

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Confidentiality

• Disclosure of child abuse, elder abuse and

serious threats of homicide or suicide as
dictated by state law

• Reporting participation in an EAP to the

referring supervisor

• Reporting the results of assessment and

evaluation following a positive drug test

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Confidentiality

• Verifying medical information to authorize

release time or satisfy fitness-for-duty
concerns as specified in company policy

• Revealing medical information to the

insurance
company in order to qualify for coverage
under a benefits plan

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Drug & Alcohol Awareness

Specific Drugs of Abuse

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Drugs of Abuse

• Alcohol • Narcotics

• Marijuana • Hallucinogens

• Inhalants • Designer Drugs

• Stimulants • Over the counter

(OTC)
• Depressants

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Alcohol
• Dysfunctional Behavior

• Absenteeism (especially Mondays)

• Blackouts

• Loss of memory

• Fixated on drinking (both social &

professional)

• Trouble with relationships

• Difficulty walking
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Cannabis (Marijuana)
• Other names Cannabis is referred to as: hashish

and hashish oils

• The active ingredient is Tetrahydrocannabinol

(THC)

• Not physically addictive, moderately addictive

psychologically

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Inhalants

Effects:
• Loss of muscle control
• Slurred speech
• Respiratory failure
• Cardiac arrest
• Number of other
physical symptoms
• Brain & lung damage
• Can be fatal (even in
small amounts)

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Stimulants

Signs & Symptoms:

• Increased heart rate • Agitation

• Respiratory • Decreased appetite
functioning
• Psychological
• Alertness dependency
• Restlessness • Physical dependency

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Depressants

• Frequent doctor trips for nervousness,

anxiety,
stress, etc…
• Acting drunk (without odor)
• Limited or no facial expression or animation
• Personality is flat
• Lacking energy
• Slurred speech

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Narcotics

Signs & Symptoms:

• Acting lethargic or drowsy
• Track marks
• Slurred speech
• Constricted pupils/not reactive
• Redness & raw nostrils from inhalation

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Narcotics

More Signs & Symptoms:

• Frequent trips to doctors for pain medication

• Increase in frequency & amount of prescribed

pain medication w/o doctor consent

• Sweating, vomiting, coughing & sniffling,

twitching, loss of appetite

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Hallucinogens

LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, Mushrooms, & PCP

Signs & Symptoms:

 Dilated pupils  Changes in mood

 Heavy sweating & behaviors
 Strong body odor  Slurred speech
 Distorted senses  Confusion
 Hallucinations  Distorted view of
 Isolation/detached themselves & time
 Self absorbed

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Designer Drugs
Common Drugs
Effects:
• Ecstasy • Physical
• Adam – Hypertension, blurred vision,
tremors, drooling, anorexia,
• Lovers Speed impaired speech, paralysis,
• Special K seizures, brain damage, death
• Fantasy • Psychological
– Confusion, irritability, anxiety,
• Nature’s Quaalude
emotional, irrational,
depression, amnesia, violent
behavior, insomnia

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Bath Salts
Signs & Symptoms:

• Agitation • Tremors/shaking
• Extreme nervousness • Vomiting
• Fast heartbeat • Hallucinations
• Increased blood • Seizures
pressure

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OTC Drugs

• Both prescription and Over the Counter drugs

(OTC) can affect workers in numerous ways,
especially if a reaction or drug interaction
occurs
• Hard to predict but could have the same
symptoms as alcohol or drug use, however are
caused by legal drugs
• Consider a policy on OTC drugs in the workplace

based on the job description

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Common OTC & Prescription

• Opioids • Skeletal muscle

• Topiramate relaxants
• Anti-diabetic
• Antihistamines
medications
• Antidepressants
• Cold medicines
• Sedative hypnotics
• Allergy medications
• Anti-anxiety
medications

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A Safer, Drug-Free Workplace

• Recognize the impact of alcohol and drug

abuse on the workplace

• Understand and follow the Drug-Free

Workplace Policy

• Remember the types of assistance available

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 Contact Information

http://bwc.dole.gov.ph/

https://web.facebook.com/BWC1949/

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Questions

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