Gone are those days when alcohol was confined to a select few in the society. Today the easy availability of alcohol has ruptured the fabric of society as more and more people are falling into the jaws of alcohol addiction with every passing year.
Alcohol addiction when coupled with drug addiction can prove to be extremely fatal and it is therefore important to take the right decisions at the right time if your family member, friend or employee seems to be showing symptoms of addiction.
Alcohol at work
Alcohol is something that can mar the efficiency and productivity of an individual. An alcohol addict’s craving is always present and permeates decision-making and work performance. At times you may even be able to see some changes in his behaviour. The damage caused to one individual because of drugs and alcohol can prove to be harmful for the whole company. Often professionals at in upper management positions or those in positions of authority fall prey to alcohol and/or drug addiction which can directly hamper the profits of the firm and lead to losses, safety breaches and disasters.
Signs
Some of the most visible and noticeable changes in an employee addicted to alcohol are:
- Shabbiness: A once neat and clean employee is no more the way he used to be. From his personal appearance to his work table, everything would have ‘shabby’ written on it.
- High dependency on others: An employee addicted to alcohol is no more self sufficient and is dependent on his colleagues to get his work done. The guilt also causes a rather visible change in his social behaviour.
- Frequent leaves: Frequent absence from work is another feature of an employee hooked to drugs of alcohol.
- Unusual Eating Habits: The craving for alcohol at work would also cause a change in the person’s eating habits. He might skip his meals altogether or pig on his meals more than twice a day.
- Poor efficiency and poor performance at work: Lack of concentration, shift in focus and change in priorities causes the downfall of an addict as a professional.
However an employee cannot be medically labelled ‘addicted’ even if he is showing all of the above mentioned symptoms.
Therefore firms have come out with strong drug and alcohol policies as per the OHS system. The employees need to be made aware of these policies and should be given proper information of these policies before they join an organisation. Alcohol or drug addiction can also be peer-group contagious and therefore a policy against drug and alcohol abuse is important to safeguard the work culture against a spread of the problem onsite. It is the employer’s job to ensure proper safety of his employees.
Running alcohol and drug tests are not just beneficial for the firm but may also be highly beneficial for the employees. While the firm can look to spot problems in its offices and workplaces and solve them thanks to the use of onsite screening programmes, the employee can also benefit because he/she is identified and can therefore undergo proper treatment for his addiction. Given that alcohol addiction is a chronic disease, many firms and companies are now providing comprehensive assistance to employees who suffer from addiction. Rehab centres and detox centres around the country provide proper rehab plans in order to help drug and alcohol addicts. There are also many counseelling and group programmes available.
Contact Mediscreen if you require an onsite screening programme 1300 797040
