This authoritative book examines what we know and don't know about workforce and workplace substance involvement, including popular myths about the prevalence, causes, and productivity outcomes of employee substance use.

Substance abusers exert a significant cost burden for employers. Evidence is mounting that worker substance abuse may have its greatest impact on productivity losses including increased absenteeism and short-term disability, higher turnover, and suboptimal performance at work. Full-time workers that reported using illicit drugs or abusing prescribed drugs were more likely to report missing two or more workdays in the past month due to illness or injury and were more likely to have skipped one or more days of work in the past month. But what does one do to address this situation? The response is simple if a worker presents himself acutely intoxicated, but how does one handle off duty or chronic use of potentially impairing substances that may or may not affect job performance and safety? This work reviews the regulatory issues surrounding substance use in the workplace as well as drug and alcohol testing. The text examines the main substances of concern and discusses the literature related to disease based and patient based research considering workplace safety. The monograph ends by describing the evaluation of potentially impaired employees and how to gain objective evidence of their ability to function safely and also how to direct troubled employees toward helpful programs.

Abuse of drugs and alcohol may cause serious difficulties at work including deterioration in job performance. Abuse is caused by a range of personal, family, social or work situations or a combination of such factors. This report presents a variety of multidisciplinary approaches to the prevention, assistance, treatment and rehabilitation of alcohol- and drug-related problems in the workplace. Although experience has shown the difficulty of eliminating substance abuse, the policies presented are likely to yield constructive results for workers and employers alike.

Presents findings on substance use among workers & on workplace drug policy & programs from the 2002, 2003, & 2004 Nat. Surveys on Drug Use & Health (NSDUHs). NSDUH is an annual survey of the civilian, non-institutionalized population of the U.S. aged 12 years or older. The survey provides data on substance use & related issues among the U.S. population. NSDUH collects info. on employment status, type of business, specific occupations & industries, & info. on drug-testing policies & programs from U.S. workers. This report analyzes the worker info. in conjunction with the substance use data collected in the survey to investigate substance use among full-time employed workers aged 18-64 during the period 2002-04. Over 100 tables.

This comprehensive text provides clear explanations of the effects of drugs on human performance and the need for workplace drug testing. It provides essential information on the regulatory and legal frameworks around the world, how to set policies and coverage of all aspects of drug analysis and the associated interpretation of results.Contents include:* epidemiology of drug use in the working population* the evidence base and guidelines for workplace drug testing* legal, regulatory aspects and policies for drugs and alcohol* urine and alternative sample collection process* analytical techniques and specimen adulteration.Case studies of successful programmes are also included to illustrate the principles discussed.Written by internationally acknowledged experts this informative book will be essential reading for anyone interested in workplace drug testing or setting up such a system including clinical and forensic toxicologists, occupational health physicians, nurses, human resources, drug counselling and treatment providers, analytical chemists and lawyers.Alain Verstraete is Professor at the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium and Department Head of the Toxicology Laboratory of the Laboratory of Clinical Biology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

All across the United States, individuals, families, communities, and health care systems are struggling to cope with substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders. Substance misuse and substance use disorders have devastating effects, disrupt the future plans of too many young people, and all too often, end lives prematurely and tragically. Substance misuse is a major public health challenge and a priority for our nation to address. The effects of substance use are cumulative and costly for our society, placing burdens on workplaces, the health care system, families, states, and communities. The Report discusses opportunities to bring substance use disorder treatment and mainstream health care systems into alignment so that they can address a person's overall health, rather than a substance misuse or a physical health condition alone or in isolation. It also provides suggestions and recommendations for action that everyone-individuals, families, community leaders, law enforcement, health care professionals, policymakers, and researchers-can take to prevent substance misuse and reduce its consequences.