UK Study: Over a third of employees know or suspect their colleagues have a drug problem

UK law firm, Crossland Employment Solicitors published a report highlighting a study of 100 respondents (500 employees and 500 employers) which found that over one-third of employees know or suspect that their colleagues have a drug problem or take illegal substances either during or outside work. 

Other study highlights, or low lights depending on your perspective…

• 12.5% say they take illegal substances every week
• 23 per cent admitted they had done something illegal to fund their drug use either in or outside of work
• 46 per cent of respondents also confirmed that they were aware of the potential disciplinary action that could be taken against them for substance abuse and result in them losing their job, but another 35 per cent were unsure of the exact grounds and consequences of any action

Read the entire article here.

Heroin Overdose Deaths Quadruple Across U.S.

“How many women do you know use heroin?”

– “I could name at least 20 people off the top of my head” via NBC Nightly News

The heroin overdose death epidemic is getting real. According to a new CDC study, heroin abuse is up 63 percent from 2002 and 2013, including among men, women, most age groups, and all income levels.

NBC recently ran a story about the increasingly alarming issue by highlighting the story of one woman battling the negative consequences of use. Not surprisingly, the woman interviewed in this NBC story began her descent into addiction with prescription drugs she obtain via prescription. This isn’t surprising considering that from 1991 to 2011, there was a near tripling of opioid prescriptions dispensed by U.S. pharmacies: from 76 million to 219 million prescriptions ().

“How many women do you know use heroin?”

– “I could name at least 20 people off the top of my head” addict via NBC Nightly News

This short video is worth a look but the take aways from the story illustrate what we at AtHandTraining highlight in our online drug and alcohol awareness courses which are:

• The path to addiction often begins in your doctor’s office.
• Drug use has an effect on your financial security
• Drug abuse creates costs to society as a whole
• Drug abuse has serious consequences to your health.

All we can say is that if it were some other country was killing our youth, affecting our health, increasing crime, raising the cost of our health insurance and increasing the rates of accidents; we would go to war with that country. The war on drugs might need a new strategy, but it should not end.