An interesting new article from the UK website, The Recovery Trust, addressed the impacts stress has on an individual’s use of drugs and alcohol.  It is common knowledge, with extensive research backing it up, that people use substances as a way to cope with life’s problems – a form of self-medicating.  Additional research has shown that the brain’s way of regulating stress is to release cortisol (stress hormone) which is also linked to “problematic substance use.”

With the insecurity of today’s workplace including changing technology and economic uncertainty, it is no wonder that...

A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health links the work environment as an aggravating factor in opioid use and overdose among workers. It also identified that employers can perform an important role throughout the continuum of substance use, from prevention to recovery.   

The research revealed that there are two work-related routes that may connect workers to opioid use including: injury and/or repetitive trauma from arduous labor or, mental stress due to job demands, economic insecurity, and work instability resulting in mental health disorders...

According to the most recent estimates, 585,000 people died as a result of drug use in 2017. International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) provides an opportunity for us to raise awareness, reduce the stigma, and acknowledge the grief families and friends go through remembering those who either died or received a permanent injury as a result of a drug overdose. Drug Free America Foundation is supporting IOAD by collaborating with global partners to highlight different themes on the days leading up to IOAD on August 31.

Addiction does not discriminate; it does not see color, gender...

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, released its annual Drug Testing Index analysis report revealing that positivity rates for U.S. workplace drug testing has dramatically increased over a 16-year period. Based upon over 9 million urine drug tests, the 2019 positivity rate is the highest since 2003 (4.5%).

It was no surprise to learn that marijuana was the most frequently discovered drug in workplace drug testing with positivity rising by nearly 11% over 2018 and 29% in the past 5- year period. The Midwest and the West surpassed the...

Hello!

Here is the link to the recording  and PowerPoint presentation of Drug Free America Foundation's most recent workplace webinar entitled, Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace: It's Easy to Get It Wrong! held 18 August 2020.

Click here for the link to the recording*

* Special note: Due to technical difficulties, the first 17 minutes of the webinar were not recorded. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Click here for the link to the PowerPoint presentation

You may respond here if you have any questions.  Our next webinar will feature the topic of recovery...

The use of drugs in our global society continues to increase according the 2020 World Drug Report. In a 10-year time period, the number of worldwide drug users rose from 210 million to 269 million.  Additionally, there is a significant increase in poly-drug use. Poly drug use means the concurrent use of two or more drugs with or without alcohol that exacerbates the negative effects of any single drug or alcohol used. In most international studies, the most frequently used drug was marijuana.

Driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs is dangerous and...

The methods and manner in which you communicate about your drug-free workplace program to your employees is important to achieve your objectives. When implementing your program, initial communication from the chief executive officer (CEO) or high-level manager will convey a sense of high priority about the drug-free workplace policy and its goals.  From time-to-time ongoing messages of support will serve to further emphasize its value. In fact, all supervisors and managers should be well-versed in the goals of the program and how it will serve to meet the mission of the organization.  

The ISSUP South Africa Chapter recently hosted a very informative webinar on Cannabis Testing in the Workplace with presenter, Dr.Tim Laurens of the University of Pretoria.  

Click Here to go to Webinar Recording

Click Here to View the Follow-up Question & Answer Video

For many years it has been a theory among some in the substance abuse prevention field that inclusion of the workplace in community prevention efforts has been a “missing link.” A recent essay published this month in the American Journal of Public Health, entitled, Work Environment Factors and Prevention of Opioid–Related Deaths, lends further credence to that assumption, stating the authors’ belief that “this is a critical gap in prevention efforts.”

The article outlined a number of studies relating opioid overdose deaths preceded by workplace–related injuries and opioid use. One...

The combined effects of COVID19 including the outcomes of contracting the disease itself, prolonged quarantine, isolation, fear of getting the virus, uncertainty of the future, hopelessness, grief over loss of a loved one, and general disruption, have negatively impacted many people’s mental health with anxiety, depression, and worse.  It has also caused some persons to turn to alcohol and drugs to cope, potentially affecting their workplace.  Whether people are still employed at their job site or at home, drug-free workplace programs continue to be important, now more than ever, to...

Workplace drug testing around the world is quite varied and must address a number of regionally unique factors that affect the collection and processing of suitable test specimens.

There are a few challenges to international drug testing that may arise during the strict specimen collection and handling process.  It is extremely important to maintain the integrity of the testing protocol and the security of the specimens as they move through the collection and test analysis process.  This procedure, often called the “chain of custody,” protects the employee’s rights of accuracy...

E-Cigarettes

You've seen them everywhere and may know someone who uses one. Electronic cigarettes, looking like regular cigarettes, have become the latest smoking-related trend. The slim e-cigarette holds liquid nicotine that, when heated into a vapor, can be inhaled. There is no smoke, only water vapor. The liquid nicotine, also known as e-liquids or e-juice, are trendy and hip; sold in some areas at "juice bars" and offered in fruity flavors such as strawberry, peach, and mango, among others.

In fact, they are becoming so popular that “Big Tobacco” has targeted young adults in...

Featured in Aqua Magazine  | Phillip M. Morris | May 2020

Drug problems for pool and spa businesses range in severity. There are many employees whose quiet consumption of recreational drugs in off-hours will never be noticed. But there are plenty of others who will make drug use part of their workday, compromising the quality of their work and the reputation of their employer.  

READ MORE

Hello!

Here is the link to the recording of our most recent webinar, Substance Use Prevention in the Workplace and Its Role in the Community, held 16 June 2020: 

https://www.ndwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Webinar-Substance-Use-Prevention-in-the-Workplace-and-Its-Role-in-the-Community.mp4.

You may respond here if you have any questions.  Also, please stay tuned for announcements on future drug free workplace webinar events in the coming months.

Synthetic drugs, also referred to as designer drugs or club drugs, mimic the effects of illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, LSD, opium, and ecstasy. They are often marketed as "legal highs" and are available over-the-counter at smoke shops and many neighborhood convenience stores.

Government authorities in many countries have banned certain chemicals used to manufacture these products and many of them have been added to the lists of controlled substances. Despite new laws banning the chemical compounds of these drugs, manufacturers of synthetic drugs stay one step ahead by...

As substance use and the availability of highly potent drugs increases globally, so too does comorbid substance use and mental health disorders.  According to the World Health Organization there was a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the decade from 2007 to 2017.

Comorbidity is the occurrence of two or more disorders or illnesses within the same person either simultaneously or one following the other. Interactions between illnesses can exacerbate both. Comorbidity can be caused by a number of factors such as genetics, trauma, and adverse...

Tuesday June 16, 2020

at 10:00 AM EDT

Calling All Workplace Stakeholders!

Drug Free America Foundation cordially invites you to participate in a webinar Tuesday June 16th on: Substance Use Prevention in the Workplace and Its Role in the Community 

Webinar Summary
Engaging young adults aged 18 – 25, parents and local businesses in meaningful and relevant ways sometimes challenges community prevention providers. The workplace provides an excellent venue to reach these populations in ways that promote the goals of a safe and healthy community, and for businesses a...

An Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, allows organizations to offer help to employees with a work-based intervention program that helps workers to resolve a wide variety of personal problems, including problems with alcohol and drugs.   

The EAP assistance may be provided in a variety of ways that fits the needs of the employer. Some of the program types include: in-house programs, fee-per-person programs, pay-per-use programs, consortia programs, labor union-based assistance programs, or peer-assistance programs. While the cost of the EAP is generally covered by the employer, there are...