Administrative issues related to addiction in the workplace

Drug abuse is an important problem in the workplace. Seventy percent of current illegal drug users are employed, and approximately 7% of Americans employed in full-time work report heavy drinking. Drug-using employees are twice as likely to request time off, and 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a workplace accident. Individuals who use alcohol or other drugs in the workplace annually cost American business 81 billion dollars in lost productivity; 86% of these costs are attributed to drinking. Although alcohol is the primary source of problems for the workplace, other drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and tobacco are also troublesome. Employee assistance programs and drug treatment hold great promise for coping with these problematic substances.