• Seventy percent of all illegal drug users are employed, either full-or part-time. This suggests over 10 million people are current users of illicit drugs.
• One in twelve full-time employees reports current use of illicit drugs.
• One in every ten people in this country has an alcohol problem.
  

What do those numbers mean to you? They mean a major business problem for you. Because substance abuse affects the bottom line, it costs you money.

How substance-abusing workers compare to drug-free workers:

More: Workdays missed Likely to injure self or others Workers' compensation claims
Less: Productivity

How substance-abusing workers cost you more...

The 3 Steps Toward a Workplace Substance Abuse Program

Step 1: Write a clear & comprehensive policy. Your policy statement should reflect the needs and values of your workplace. The Chamber is available to assist you in developing an individualized policy.

Step 2: The Chamber will conduct supervisors' training on topics of:

• Methods of detecting drug & alcohol use/abuse Prevention & education strategies
• Understanding drug-testing issues
• How to benefit from using an Employee Assistance Program for referral and return-to-work.
• Using an Employee Assistance Program as a resource that can help a supervisor deal with employees' job performance problems.

Also available are supervisor training packages, films, videotapes, and publications.

Step 3: Educating your employees.

• Explain your workplace substance abuse policy to all of your employees and tell them about the dangers and related consequences of using drugs & alcohol - both on and off the job...
• Inform employees on how drugs & alcohol actually affect the company's productivity, product quality, morale, absenteeism, health care benefits costs, and accident rates.
• Inform employees on how to get help through the confidential E.A.P. regarding drug and alcohol problems or any type of personal problem.