Substance abuse could endanger others

Substance abuse professionals frequently hear the following scenario:

“One of my co-workers, who is also a very good friend, has a terrible drinking problem, and it’s beginning to show up at work. She frequently smells of alcohol when she comes to work. She leaves work at noon for ‘a couple of beers’ several days each week. The machinery she runs could hurt her or even other employees if she makes a slip due to her drinking. I think the company we work for would get her some help for her problem is she would admit that she has a problem. I tried to talk to her once, but she said, ‘I go to work every day. Does that sound like someone with an alcohol problem?’ Can you tell me some things that I could do to help her understand that she has a problem?”

The substance abuse professional might offer the following suggestion:

Your friend and co-worker’s apparent problem can indeed affect her work and, unfortunately, alcoholics do work in spite of their problem. Some of the characteristics of substance abuse in the workplace include:

• Increased risk of accidents – Impaired reaction time and judgment due to substance abuse, disregard for safety procedures, diminished concern for the safety of oneself and/or others.

• Absenteeism – Unexcused absences, improbably excuses for absences, excessive tardiness, and lengthy absences for minor illnesses.

• Sporadic work patters – Changes in productivity, changes in quality of work, working overtime to finish assignments that would have been completed during regular work time prior to the onset of substance abuse.

• Problems with co-workers or supervisors – Overreaction to criticism, mood swings, irritability, avoidance of co-workers or supervisors, complaints from other employees.

• Confusion and/or problems in concentration – Difficulty in recalling instructions, inability to correct one’s own mistakes, difficulty in attending to necessary details, frequent errors, forgetting how to perform routine tasks and procedures.

• A marked deterioration in personal appearance or grooming. The smell of alcohol and/or attempts to mask the smell of alcohol on one’s breath.

Remember that these problems can be a result of conditions other than alcohol or drug abuse. Your company nurse, a supervisor or someone from the human relations department needs to refer your friend to someone trained in substance abuse evaluation.

Unfortunately, alcohol and drug abuse is all too frequent in the workplace, causing inefficiency, low morale and even increasing the danger of accidents. Perhaps this information will be helpful to you.

Copyright c 1998 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.