The Unexpected Challenge Everyone Faces When Returning to Work After Rehab—and How to Overcome It
Workplace addiction is often stigmatized, but more people suffer as addicts while at work than you may think — 77 percent of illicit drug users are employed either part-time or full-time. That’s eight out of ten people and 9.4 million workers who deal with addiction on a daily basis. The United States also only makes up five percent of the world population, yet its citizens buy and consume 60 percent of the global illicit drug supply.
Employee drug abuse leads to a decrease in productivity and increase in accidents on and off the job. As a result, workman’s compensation and medical claims go up, raising the employer premiums and employee contributions. Meanwhile, the addiction sufferer must deal with increased absenteeism and the resulting decreased pay — they don’t perform at their best and cost the company through inaccurate work, missed deadlines and equipment loss or supply theft. Both employer and addicted employee suffer.
