Substance Abuse in the Workplace
Most people who abuse alcohol or illicit drugs are employed. 76 percent of illicit drug users are employed either full- or part-time.
More than 60 percent of adults know someone who has reported for work under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Alcohol and drug abuse cost American businesses an estimated $81 billion in lost productivity in just one year -- $37 billion due to premature death and $44 billion due to illness. Alcoholism is estimated to cause 500 million lost workdays annually.
Individuals who are current illicit drug abusers are also more likely (12.9 percent) than those who are not (5 percent) to have skipped one or more workdays in the past month.
Results from a U.S. Postal Service study revealed that employees who tested positive in a pre-employment drug test are 66 percent more likely to be absent and 77 percent more likely to be discharged within three years than those who tested negative.
Addiction treatment costs less than replacing an employee, especially for high-level professional employees. Replacing a professional employee can cost an employer up one to two times the person's annual salary (recruitment, advertising, reviewing applications, travel, relocation, HR staff time), not to mention the loss of company knowledge.
(From the Hazelden Foundation, sponsor of the "Making Recovery America's Business"; campaign and 2003 Workplace Addiction Survey)
