Substance Abuse and Workplace Wellness
Barbara ZabawaShare
Companies that embrace workplace wellness may naturally want to also address substance abuse issues in the workplace. After all, substance abuse can undermine wellness efforts, both at the individual and organizational level. Aligning workplace wellness with employee substance abuse issues may be even more urgent given the current opioid crisis in our country. According to a Blue Cross Blue Shield claims analysis in 2017, opioid disorder diagnoses increased about 500% over the past 7 years. According to a 2013 study by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, of the 22.4 million illicit drug users aged 18 or older in 2013, about 70% are employed either full-time or part-time. Minimizing employee substance abuse may improve employee productivity, reduce absenteeism, accidents and injuries and decrease medical benefit costs. According to one analysis, workplace substance abuse prevention programs are associated with reduced illicit drug use. Read More