Workplaces provide an important role in helping employees battling against substance use disorders. According to the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), “Employment provides economic stability, a meaningful social role, and often direct access to treatment and recovery services.”   Here are some considerations for employers to reduce stigma in the work environment: 

• Educate supervisors and employees to understand the condition of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and eliminating the prejudice of stigma.
• Utilize an Employee Assistance Program to support all...

Recovery helps all workers! Workplaces that support employees' recovery from substance use disorders can reap benefits and contribute to the health and wellbeing of all employees. Benefits include increased productivity, improved morale, safer workplace, greater employee retention, and a more positive working environment.

How do you promote recovery in your workplace?

Download the resource!

It is important for employers to regularly promote the policy and program of their drug free workplace so that all employees are fully aware of its provisions and understand the importance of worker safety and health. Like other company safety policies, the drug free workplace program should be reinforced through an annual review that is worth the investment.

The education should be directly provided by the employer and would be applicable to all workers regardless of their role in the company. It should include but is not limited to the following program related questions and topics:

On the occasion of Drug Free Work Week, Drug Free America Foundation updated and re-released its workplace resource on substance use and mental health.

Comorbid substance use and mental health disorders can have significant impacts on employees and the workplace. This means that a person has both disorders at the same time that can lead to a worsened outcome.  Both disorders can have a profound effect on a worker’s ability to remain focused on the job.  For example, drugs and alcohol can alter the brain’s ability to function properly and can cause workplace accidents, absenteeism, and a...

Welcome to this special episode of the Pathways 2 Prevention Podcast: We are proud to announce the 14th annual anniversary observance of NATIONAL DRUG-FREE WORK WEEK, OCTOBER 17 - 23, 2022. This yearly public awareness campaign highlights the importance of a drug-free workplace and encourages workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help.

Please listen to the Pathways 2 Prevention Podcast: Drug Free Work Week Edition

Calling All Workplace Stakeholders

DON'T MISS THESE TWO DRUG FREE WORK WEEK WEBINARS!

No cost & must register in advance

Marijuana and the Workplace

Tuesday October 18, 2022

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

Webinar Summary

With more states than ever legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, many employers are confused about the lack of information and the best practices to address it in their workplace. Hear from marijuana and drug testing expert Jo McGuire, Executive Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) about what employers need to...

As a growing movement, International Recovery Day is celebrated on September 30th annually to bring about a cohesive global effort to recognize that recovery is possible and that there is hope in a new life after addiction.

Participation in the workplace is an essential part of recovery and employers are encouraged to support their employees through their recovery journey.  This can be accomplished through promoting a comprehensive drug free workplace program that includes education for all workers, training for supervisors, an employee assistance program (EAP), health insurance that...

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has produced this very important evidence-based resource for families related to personal behavioral skills such as compassion and empathy; caring that includes patience, praise, and physical activity; and listening to help children grow healthy and safe.

Developing social and emotional learning and life skills in children allows them to navigate challenges and creates resiliency that helps them form a strong connection with their parents and family and resist substance use.

Sharing this resource with parents in the workplace provides...

Annually, August 31 is known as International Overdose Awareness Day, a day that we pause to remember those who have died from an overdose and with their loved ones, to share in the grief of their loss. We also recognize the many who continue to live with the stigma associated with having a family member or friend die from an overdose.  

According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in their 2021 World Drug Report, approximately 62 million people (or 1.2% of the global population) used opioids for non-medical purposes in 2019. In the U.S., over 100,000 people died from...

Data from the Quest Diagnostics 2022 Drug Testing Index (DTI) has shown that positive workplace drug tests have continued to escalate. This increase mirrors results of other national surveys, such as the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, that indicate the overall use of drugs increased last year.  The DTI findings revealed that the level of positive drug tests was up 4.6% for 2021 versus 4.4% the prior year.  This overall number is up more that 30% from the historic low of 3.5% in their 2010-2012 analysis.

With fewer available workers seeking jobs, some employers are making a...

We're sharing a link to this great article from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) about how workplaces adapted and addressed substance use, addiction, recovery, and stigma in the workplace during the pandemic.  

SHRM | Theresa Agovino | October 2, 2021

The COVID-19 Crisis Has Brought Substance Abuse to Light

Alcohol and drug use surged during the pandemic, forcing substance use disorders—one of the last taboo subjects in corporate America—into the spotlight.

Read the Article

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has published a comprehensive workplace toolkit for the prevention and response to opioids and substance use.

The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) has developed an awareness-level training tool on the prevention of occupational exposure to fentanyl and other opioids, and a second curriculum designed to address the impact of the opioid crisis on workers, the workplace, and the community. Please click on the link below to see and download training curricula, and an array of health and safety resources related to opioid...

According to the World Health Organization, the tobacco epidemic has tremendously impacted global public health with more than 8 million deaths per year and another 1.2 million deaths due to second-hand smoke.

With over 1.3 billion tobacco users, more than 80% reside in low to middle income countries that bear the burden of illness and mortality from its use. Tobacco use contributes to poverty through diversion of household spending to tobacco rather than food or shelter.

The economic costs of tobacco use are considerable and includes healthcare and loss of productivity. In fact...

Identifying Workplace Impairment and Next Steps for Employers

Check out a new workplace impairment webinar featuring great information for employers faced with documenting reasonable suspicion of substance use. The webinar features Dr. Donna Smith of Drug Free America Foundation and Kathy Strain of Drug Free Workplace Pennsylvania who provide practical tips to guide employers.

Download resources:

Webinar Recording

Dr. Donna Smith - Marijuana in the Workplace (Impairment)

Kathy Strain - Identifying Workplace Impairment & Next Steps for Employers

Thursday June 16, 2022 
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT

Calling All Workplace Stakeholders!

Drug Free America Foundation cordially invites you to participate in an important webinar Thursday June 16th on: Identifying Workplace Impairment and Next Steps for Employers 

Webinar Summary
With more states than ever legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, as well as the proliferation of other substance use including prescription opioids and stimulants, many employers are confused as to how to recognize the signs and symptoms of impairment. Additionally, some states that have legalized...

As resources are devoted to help mitigate and abate the opioid crisis, attention has been given to the workplace.  Helping people in recovery regain a healthy lifestyle, in part through regaining consistent supportive employment is an important aspect of one’s recovery journey. A drug free workplace typically provides many needed supports such as structure for all workers to remain drug and alcohol free while at work, provides guidance for supervisory staff on managing the program, and education on the issues of substance use and misuse and its effects to the workplace.

A recovery friendly...

Increased use of illicit substances, especially opioids and fentanyl, along with an increase in deaths from these drugs during the pandemic appears to account for a decline in workforce participation of between 7% - 19% out of an overall reduction of 9% - 26%. The U.S. has still not completely recovered from the decrease. According to a 2022 study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, this downturn of active employment for the prime age group of 25-54 was observed between February 2020 and June of 2021.  

Read more

Abbott – Work Drug Safe Website| Knowledge & Insights Blog | December 2021

Drug use is on the rise in the United States. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA)  identified that the number of past-year  illicit drug users ages 26 and older over the last few years: 14.6% of the population in 2015; 15% of the population in 2016; 16.1% of the population in 2017; and 16.7% of the population in 2018.

The report is ongoing, but we can assume that the numbers will continue to rise when SAMHSA releases the 2019...

Quest Diagnostics just released its 2022 Drug Testing Index (DTI) report of the analyzed results of more than 11 million workforce drug tests in 2021.  The DTI provides context and trends of its drug testing data collection since 1988.   

The report disclosed that overall drug test positivity increased across 16 out of 17 industry categories excluding mining.

Not unexpectedly, all 17 industry categories saw an increase in positivity for marijuana with 15 industries showing a double-digit surge. The industry sector with the greatest rate of marijuana positivity of 7.5% was Accommodations...

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a recent analysis of the responses from more than 110,000 fulltime employed adults over age 18 from the 2015 – 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health where researchers determined that persons with alcohol use problems had a disproportionate number of absentee days. In fact, the more severe the alcohol disorder, the greater the prevalence of absentee days. In 2019, 14.1 million Individuals in the U.S. with AUD produced more than 232,000,000 missed workdays each year.

These findings make the financial justification for employers...