Workplace Substance Abuse What if they dont want to change and they dont want help

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Workplace Substance Abuse What if they dont
want to change and they dont want help?

• Oct 20, 2009
• Nicholas Barry M.S.W., I.C.A.D.C., S.A.P.
• Substance Abuse Professional
• Certified Alcohol and Drug Counsellor

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My interest

• I was an annoying little child
• Asked a lot of questions WHY?,
• HOW COME
• Wanted to see the big picture of everything, took
  apart everything, clocks, motors.( could not get
  them back)
• Addiction work

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Workplace, I like working with employees

• There is still a lot to work with, usually not
  down and out.
• Workplace can become involved for support as well
  as deterrence
• Many of this group have never seen the inside of
  a detoxification centre so it is a different
  group (first responder)
• Work with them before they start using services
  in the community (legal, health, welfare)

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SAP-Substance Abuse Professional Ways I have
gotten referrals

• Employee admits alcohol or drug problem to
  manager
• Positive alcohol or drug test
• Reports of usage by someone else, family,coworker
  
• Reasonable Suspicion
• EAP Fix my employee!!

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Stages of Workplace Involvement

• Peer help
• Confidential EAP
• Manager to employee - get some help for yourself!
• Mandatory EAP- reporting structure
• SAP referral reporting, disclosure and follow
  up

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SAP Goals

• Assess the person for addiction and prevent the
  person from returning to a safety sensitive
  position until considered safe. I would like to
  see the person get better but that does not
  always happen.
• To provide documentation that the person has
  undertaken some sort of process related to the
  policy infraction. (Recommendations for action)

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Substance Abuse Vs. Addictions

• Do you know the difference?
• The ones with the addiction will continue to do
  what they do until something changes
• Substance Abuse in the workplace is at its core
  Addiction in the Workplace

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Addiction can be the root problem in various
percentages of these areas.

• Family problems
• Justice system, Welfare System, Drunk Driving,
  Healthcare,
• Workers comp, insurance
• Workplace performance and injury

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I want to start with two questions

• What do you do with your employees that break
  your alcohol and drug policy?
• Are you prepared to allow someone to continue
  working who may be a safety risk in the workplace?

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• Why does due diligence have special significance?
  
• "Due diligence" is important as a legal defence
  for a person charged under occupational health
  and safety legislation. If charged, a defendant
  may be found not guilty if he or she can prove
  that due diligence was exercised. In other words,
  the defendant must be able to prove that all
  precautions, reasonable under the circumstances,
  were taken to protect the health and safety of
  workers. (CSOHS)

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-You are very fortunate if you have an alcohol
and drug policy and a process-There is a
solution in the process-What is the worst thing
that could happen? A.Loss of job?B. How about
loss of life or permanent injury of a coworker
and you trying to explain in court or to the
victims family that you knew there was a problem
but did not do anything about it?
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• Daniel Tschetter
• Killed 5 people while driving a cement truck
• Threw vodka into his hopper to avoid being
  caught( refused breath test)
• 20 previous various driving convictions
• Drove badly for 20 kms. before the accident

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My Questions.

• Was this just an accident, one of those things
  that happen?
• Could anyone see that coming?
• Employer when he was hired?
• His family? Friends?
• People on the road witnessing his bad driving for
  20 kms?
• Other employees in the company?
• His supervisor?
• The Province?

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Where is the accountability for preventing this?

• If he is not behaving responsibly then who
  should? Where are the checks and balances to
  prevent this type of behavior?

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Addiction leave clues
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People who become addicted to alcohol or drugs
do not quit because they see the light.
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They quit because they feel the heat on
their.
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Idea!

• It is not inhumane to make people accountable for
  their behavior, especially when that behavior
  could have the potential to harm others.
• Parents do this all the time

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What do you do if they dont want to change?

• How long can you afford to wait for this desire
  to change?
• Sometimes the workplace has a lot more influence
  over an alcoholic or addict than the family does.

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WAIT!

• Dont you have to wait till an addict or
  alcoholic reaches bottom before they will stop?
  Isnt that what we are told?

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• What is Substance Abuse in the Workplace?
• There is an explanation on the brochure that you
  may want to read

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• Why care about alcohol and drugs?
• Workplace Statistics
•  Alcohol and drug abusers......  
• Use three times as many sick days 
• Are more likely to injure themselves or someone
  else 
• Are five times more likely to file workers
  compensation claims
•  
• 70 of all illegal drug users are employed
•  
• 40 of industrial fatalities can be linked to
  alcohol consumption and alcoholism
• National Council On Alcoholism And Drug
  Dependence, INC
•   Injury, theft, absenteeism, poor productivity,
  suffering employee morale and legal problems are
  all negative aspects of a workplace enduring
  addiction. If nothing changes, nothing changes.

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Will they help themselves?

• We tend as a society to wait for the person to
  want to change but that may be a long time. Focus
  is on the person.
• My Social Work- What does the patient want?
• Client Centered Therapy, The foundational belief
  of CCT is that people tend to move toward growth
  and healing, and have the capacity to find their
  own answers.
• If you are normal that may be true but ..

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• Addicts can and do lie
• Addiction is not normal
• It has been described as an illness or disease

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Problem is the Addiction High Wire Act, Will
anyone let this guy fall? People all around him
are keeping him in the air so he wont fall. He
cant see his mess until he falls in some area.
Enabling..We all do it
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The addict has to see his/her own mess but cant
if everyone is cleaning it up before he/she sees
it
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I put to you a question.

• Are you willing to make some changes, learn some
  new things to make it more difficult for people
  to continue their problematic usage while they
  work for you or with you?

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• Dr. Phil says
• Im going to mess up your playhouse

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• Started in the US with Drug Free Workplace
• Steps to an Alcohol and Drug Free Workplace in
  the workplace
• Messes up addicts playhouse
• Clear and comprehensive written policy
• Supervisor Training
• Educating Workplace
• Employee Assistance Program
• Drug Testing
• SAP assessments

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• Why Develop a Substance Abuse Policy in the First
  Place? 1. Policy makes sure that employees
  understand rules and consequences of their
  behavior.
• 2. Provides focus for education and training.
• 3. To get company to identify  substance abuse
  objectives.
• 4. Minimizes legal problems.
• 5. Establish basis for taking action.
• 6. Minimize possibility of arbitrary decisions 
• 7. Provides a vehicle for communication with
  employees.
• 8. Covers matters that the EAP does not cover.

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Policy Components

• -every company is different (need your own
  policy)
• -be written
• -communicated to all
• -provide the reason for policy
• -outline rules and responsibilities
• -method of detection
• -alcohol, drug testing and your position
• -concern for health and family
• -confidentiality issues
• -talk about assistance
• (EAP, informal)
• -consequences of policy violation

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The SAP ProcessWorker caught on a drug/alcohol
test, has an accident while under the influence,
shows symptoms of addiction or otherwise breached
company policy-Worker immediately transferred
to non-safety sensitive position or taken out of
the workplace if none exists-Assessment set up
with a Substance Abuse Professional-A brief
letter stating what recommendations or education
is needed for this individual-Worker begins and
follows through on the recommendations- SAP is
to inform company if worker is in compliance with
recommendations and progress. -After
education/treatment completed employee returns to
SAP for a follow-up-Letter sent to company as
to completion of treatment/education with further
recommendations as well as possible alcohol/drug
testing schedule.
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Thoughts of an addicted person until they come
around

• I am right, everyone else is wrong
• I dont have a problem
• If I have a bit of a problem I can solve it with
  my tremendous intellect
• People who interfere with my desire to use are
  the enemy

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• Everyone comes in drunk once in a while
• If you test the others 90 could test positive
• Management considers me a threat
• They are out to get me
• They set me up
• The union threw me to the wolves
• Test me now I am fine
• Everyone smokes dope that I know

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Part of the job is classifying the person into
one of these three groups

• Social Users Take it/Leave it
• Regular Users Can Choose
• Addicted Lost Choice

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Difference in SAP process as opposed to regular
counsellor

• -focus is off the person and on safety of
  workplace and public (Big Picture)
• -independent consultation
• -it is a process which leads to some resolution
  for the workplace

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• Urine Tests can be Useful Tools but
• -cannot test for addiction
• -cannot test for impairment on the job
• -can not tell you if the drugs were consumed at
  work
• -cannot tell you how the drugs have entered the
  body
• -cannot tell you if this is a good employee or
  bad one
• -a negative test does not ensure that the person
  does not have a problem

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What I look for in an assessmentIs It
An Addiction?1. Obsession planning, scheming,
hiding, stocking up2. Negative Consequences
Relationships, finances, work, judgment, healt
h (physical, psychological)3. Lack of Control
progression of lack of control more
pronounced in some4, Denial ignoring
reality, mind break absolute
denying minimizing avoidance blaming
others rationalization
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                    Family Violence          
          Stealing                     Poor
Work Performance                   Financial
Problems                   Depression       
            Anti-Social Behavior               
    Hangovers/Physical Problems/Medical
Attention                   Accidents       
            Unplanned Pregnancies              
     Drunk Driving                   Mental
Health Admissions                  
Divorce                   Jail
Time                   Bad Reputations
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How do people stay clean and sober?

• How do you learn a language?
• How do you learn to play a sport?
• How can you learn an instrument?
• How did you learn to read?
• Get Some Instruction and PRACTICE

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• End