The Problem:

It is no surprise that alcoholism in the workplace costs employers millions of dollars in lost revenue due to absenteeism, injury, low morale, and lowered productivity, just to name a few consequences. Businesses often have a set policy to follow to intervene on a chemically addicted worker. The policy includes determining whether or not the employee should be fired or rehabilitated. There is guidance from Human Resources about the legalities faced in performing an intervention and often, specific steps to take during and after the intervention. There are often predetermined alcoholism treatment centers to recommend, referrals to specific intervention specialists, and alcoholism recovery homes to assist with aftercare.  However, how does an employee intervene on a manager who is succumbing to alcoholism as evidenced by specific symptoms including tardiness, forgetfulness, inhibited walking and talking, long weekends, and deteriorating personal hygiene? There is usually no policy to turn to and a myriad of highly charged issues to negotiate in determining whether or not to confront the problem. 

Documentation:

Objective documentation of problematic behaviors should precede any action of the employee. The documentation should include date, venue, what happened in specific detail, names of others present, and a signature. Documented behaviors might include:

• Tardiness
• Negative interactions with co-workers
• Absenteeism
• Deteriorating hygiene
• Errors
• Requests for cover-ups
• Missing items from the workplace or thefts
• Irrational behavior and/or requests

Options:

Documentation will either support the opinion of the worker or defuse it. If it confirms the presence of alcoholism, then the following steps might be in order:

1. Do nothing: If an employee knows that his/her job would surely be in jeopardy if he voices a concern, the focus needs to shift away from intervening on the employer and onto learning how to best work alongside the alcoholic in a way that makes the situation more tolerable for all concerned. By learning how alcoholism addiction affects the addict as well as those in their sphere of influence, behaviors are seen in context and thus more easily dealt with. Researching alcoholism symptoms, chemical dependency treatment options, co-dependency in the workplace and attending Al-Anon are all strategies that will defuse the negative interactions and opinions of the employee toward the addicted employer. Hopefully, this approach will help the employee to remain in a job that is important to him and it also may affect the alcoholic in a positive way.
2. Informal intervention: Developing a planned statement and its delivery in private may influence the employer to accept help for his or her alcohol addiction. This approach rarely works if the relationship between employer and employee isn’t more of a friendship. Telling someone that they have an alcohol problem and asking them to accept treatment can be profoundly offensive if done without attention to the sensitivity and dignity of the alcoholic.  
3. Human Resources:  if the business is large enough to include a Human Resources Department or an Employee Assistance Program, a concerned employee has a built-in support system. It is crucial that the employee be able to objectively describe the interactions he/she has had with the boss that supports the suspicion that an alcohol dependency is occurring. Once HR is notified, strategies of intervention based on company policy will be set into motion, which may or may not include further involvement of the employee. 
4. Confirm suspicions with others involved and plan a course of action. Workplace alliances and relationships should be carefully considered if this step is to be taken. Again, the concerned employee is attempting to solve a problem, not lose a job or make the situation worse.  
5. Consult an external alcohol intervention specialist to strategize an action plan and deal with the fears that arise. Often, this is the best next step following the documentation process. It allows the concerned worker to speak freely and receive objective feedback.

The Solution:

The ideal resolution of this issue would be evidenced by the employer receiving help at an appropriate alcoholism treatment center where physical, emotional, and mental repercussions of alcohol addiction are addressed. The employee is relieved of the tension of dealing daily with an untreated alcoholic and in the process, learns about addiction, its affects on the family and co-workers, and how to stay neutral and non-judgmental about the disease. Even doing nothing is a choice that involves personal growth for the employee.

Alcoholism, chemical dependency, gambling addiction, internet addiction, etc. are all addictions that carry enormous personal costs—the professional cost is also enormous and usually realized at the end of a painful downward spiral. Our culture respects and honors our “workers” whether on the front line or in management. Often it is in the workplace that the addict finally succumbs to their devastating disease since the workplace has been protected by all means possible. The addict or alcoholic has often lost her family, alienated friends, and destroyed every other part of her life while trying to hold onto the last vestige of self-esteem, her job. In a perfect world, the intervention would happen early on the road to self-destruction sparing the alcoholic and others concerned the painful ramifications of the disease. The good news is that intervention works when done with sensitivity and planning at almost any point on downward spiral.

 Celebrity Rehab: Season 2     

Although there are literally thousands of drug rehab and alcoholism treatment programs throughout the United States, some rehab centers have an established reputation that is known throughout the addiction treatment community.  Here we provide a list of some of the most highly regarded alcohol and drug  treatment facilities in the country. Inasmuch as we have relationships with many of the Outreach Coordinators at these treatment centers, we are working to establish a direct access for you with your programs of interest.

 California Drug Rehab

Arizona Drug Rehab

Utah Drug Rehab

 

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse the following chart  specifies  the minimum and maximum detection time that the most common drugs stay in a person’s body.

How Long Do Drugs Stay in a Person’s Body

The goal of treatment for Vicodin addiction is to return the patient to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community. Since every individual is unique in their biology, neurology and behavior, their addiction drug rehab treatment will need to fit them accordingly. However, the following components of an effective and comprehensive drug abuse treatment program should include the following:

• Attention to issues that have developed due to the prolonged illness such as:
  • Overall health
  • Legal
  • Child care
  • Financial services
  • Housing and transportation services
  • Family services
  • Vocational help

• Attention to the individual’s age, gender, ethnicity, and culture

• Vicodin abuse education

• A schedule of treatment that is proven to be appropriate to Vicodin addiction. Research indicates that most addicted individuals need at least 3 months in treatment to significantly reduce or stop their drug use and that the best outcomes occur with longer durations of treatment. Recovery from Vicodin addiction is a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug abuse can occur and should signal a need for treatment to be reinstated or adjusted

• Behavioral therapy, individually and group, addressing a patient’s motivation to change, providing incentives for abstinence, building skills to resist drug use, replacing drug-using activities with constructive and rewarding activities, improving problem solving skills, and facilitating better interpersonal relationships

• Family therapy and education to redefine relationships and guide family members into treatment for co-dependency

• Participation in peer support programs such as alcoholics anonymous during and following treatment These programs have been proven to be effective in continuing abstinence

• Medical detox using known effective medication and treatment protocols to manage symptoms of withdrawal. Medically assisted rapid-detox and ultra-rapid detox using a drug like Buprenorphine.  In October 2002, Reckitt Benckiser received FDA approval to market a buprenorphine monotherapy product, Subutex®, and a buprenorphine/naloxone combination product, Suboxone®, for use in opioid addiction treatment. The combination product is designed to decrease the potential for abuse by injection. Subutex® and Suboxone® are currently the only medications to have received FDA approval for this indication. The role of these drugs in assisting individuals who are addicted to opiates as they deal with withdrawal symptoms is dramatic.

• Continuing assessment for other mental disorders underlying the addiction and treatment strategies to accommodate them

• Relapse prevention strategies for the Vicodin addict and family members

• Ongoing monitoring of drug use while in treatment. Knowing their drug use is being monitored can be a powerful incentive for patients and can help them withstand urges to use drugs. Monitoring also provides an early indication of a return to drug use, signaling a possible need to adjust an individual’s treatment plan to better meet his or her needs

• Ongoing  assessment for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk-reduction counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place them at risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases

Drug rehab treatment should fit the addict’s lifestyle in order to facilitate compliance for both the individual and family members. Issues of location, cost, ambience, social ramifications, transportation, job and school should be included in decisions regarding treatment facilities, inpatient and/or outpatient.

Methamphetamine acts by increasing the release of dopamine in the brain, which leads to feelings of euphoria. However, this influx of pleasure is followed by a “crash” that often leads to increased use of the drug and eventually to difficulty feeling any pleasure at all, especially from natural rewards.

Taking even small amounts of methamphetamine can result in many of the same physical effects as those of other stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines, including

• increased wakefulness
• increased physical activity
• decreased appetite
• increased respiration
• rapid heart rate
• irregular heartbeat
• increased blood pressure
• hyperthermia

Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many negative health consequences, including:

• extreme weight loss
• severe dental problems (“meth mouth”)
• anxiety
• confusion
• insomnia
• mood disturbances
• violent behavior
• psychotic features including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects crawling under the skin).

Observable signs of meth use:

 An individual suffering from Meth addiction may behave as if nothing is wrong by:

• yawning to promote the image of fatigue
• talking about feeling hungry
• discussing plans for the future that involve unrealistic expectations of  wealth, success and respectability
• assigning blame to others regarding life problems
• describing social events in order to create an image of social connectedness

The observer notices the meth addict:

• picking at skin
• incessantly pulling and/or brushing hair
• grinding teeth and clenching jaw
• frantically moving about accomplishing very little  (tweaking)
• talking incessantly to the point of absurdity
• wearing sunglasses night and day to avoid detection of enlarged pupils and the pain of bright light
• suffering from deteriorating dental health  (“meth mouth”)
• showing skin blemishes and discolorations
• having a grayish skin color
• obsessing over tasks that take little intelligence but lots of smaller motor movements such as:
  • assembling and disassembling mechanical items
  • polishing the silver
  • hyper-focusing on techno-gadgets,  etc.

   Description – Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine. It is long lasting and toxic to dopamine nerve terminals in the central nervous system. It is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder taken orally or by snorting or injecting, or a rock “crystal” that is heated and smoked.

 Street Names – Speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, glass, crank, fire, Desoxyn (psychostimulant drug which is FDA approved for the treatment of ADHD and exogenous obesity.^[2]

 Effects – Methamphetamine increases wakefulness and physical activity, produces rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, and increased blood pressure and body temperature. Long-term use can lead to mood disturbances, violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and severe dental problems. All users, but particularly those who inject the drug, risk infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Trends and Statistics – In 2008, 850,000 Americans age 12 and older had abused methamphetamine at least once in the year prior to being surveyed.). The NIDA-funded 2008 Monitoring the Future Study showed that 1.2% of 8th graders, 1.5% of 10th graders, and 1.2% of 12th graders had abused methamphetamine at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Approximately 10 million people 12 years and older have abused methamphetamine in their lifetimes; in 2005, approximately 500,000 were current users. 

Powdered Meth in Foil

Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:

• Craving–A strong need, or urge, to drink.
• Loss of control–Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
• Physical dependence–Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
• Tolerance–The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

Craving has been described as a powerful urge to drink or as intense thoughts about alcohol. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD–10) includes craving as an optional diagnostic criterion for addiction to alcohol or other drugs, defining the term as a strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the drug. Neurological and physical components are involved in the symptom of craving and contribute to the seriousness of the alcohol addiction.

 Loss of control – Because ingesting alcohol immediately impacts judgment, all aspects of behavior can be affected. Shy people act confident, wallflowers dance on tables, condoms are forgotten, driving threatens everyone and the list goes on. Even with one drink, judgment is affected and can lead to rash and potentially destructive decisions resulting in embarrassment, legal problems, aggressive behavior, irresponsible behavior toward family and friends and fears of “what did I do last night?”  Physical loss of control is evidenced by dizziness, impaired vision, wobbly legs, vomiting, loss of consciousness, unintentional urination and acute illness upon awakening. These are a few of the most obvious signs evidencing a loss of control due to alcohol use; there are others.

 Physical Dependence – The physical changes in the brain and body of an individual as their addiction progresses are obvious and measurable. The “hangover” is the most obvious description of physical dependence. Upon awakening from a serious bout of drinking, the pre-alcoholic and alcoholic experience much the same “illness like” symptoms with only the degree of intensity differentiating them. Headache, nausea (vomiting), inability to move comfortably, sensitivity to light and sound, sweating, heart irregularity, and anxiety are all reported as “morning after” symptoms brought on by the withdrawal from alcohol use.

 Tolerance – Humans develop tolerance when their brain functions adapt to compensate for the disruption caused by alcohol in both their behavior and their bodily functions. This adaptation is called functional tolerance. Chronic heavy drinkers display functional tolerance when they show few obvious signs of intoxication even at high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC’s), which in others would be incapacitating or even fatal. Because the drinker does not experience significant behavioral impairment as a result of drinking, tolerance may facilitate the consumption of increasing amounts of alcohol. This can result in physical dependence and alcohol-related organ damage.

Source: NCIAA http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/AlcoholAlerts/

 Marijuana abuse can lead to addiction as evidenced by:

• Compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities.
• trying to quit report irritability
• sleeplessness
• decreased appetite
• anxiety
• drug craving

Immediate signs of usage a family member or employer might see include:

• obvious dizziness
• trouble walking
• red, bloodshot eyes
• forgetting things that just happened
• sleepiness
• frantic hunger

More chronic signs of Marijuana Addiction include:

• social and familial withdrawal
• developing new relationships with drug-using individuals
• depression
• chronic fatigue
• carelessness with grooming
• hostility
• deteriorating relationships with family members and friends
• problematic changes in academic and work performance
• increased absenteeism or truancy
• lost interest in sports or other favorite activities
• changes in eating or sleeping habits

Signs parents and spouses might notice:

• drugs and drug paraphernalia in the home or car including pipes and rolling papers;
• odor on clothes in the bedroom and car
• use of incense and other deodorizers;
• use of eye drops
• clothing, posters, jewelry, etc., promoting drug use.