About Drug Abuse

image: young lady depressed from taking drugs   image: lots of drugs and pills image: young man with headache holding drink  image: young lady suffering from drug abuse 

 

Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics and Facts

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Why are employee drug and alcohol testing becoming more widely developed and implemented in the U.S. workplace?  Read the following employee drug and alcohol testing facts and statistics for possible answered to this question.

Relevant Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics and Facts

It is unfortunate, but certain topics and discussions such as the importance of employee drug and alcohol testing do not make a substantial impact on people’s awareness until relevant statistics and facts are plainly stated.  Consequently, the following represents a list of some of the salient employee drug and alcohol testing statistics and facts that are currently available both offline and on the Internet.

  • According to the substance abuse statistics, more than 40% of U.S. corporate CEOs who participated in a recent survey stated that the use of alcohol and illegal drugs costs them from 1% to 10% of their yearly payroll.
  • Drug and alcohol abusers are five times more likely to file a workers’ compensation claim and three to four times more likely to have an accident on the job.
  • According to the substance abuse research literature, absenteeism among abusive drinkers including alcoholics is 3.8 to 8.3 times greater than absenteeism among those who are not problem drinkers or who are not alcohol addicted.
  • According to a recent study, among employees who worked for companies that had 500 or more employees, 42.6% stated that random drug testing existed in their places of work.
  • Research has demonstrated that workplace drug and alcohol testing programs are related to a fewer occurrence of excessive drug and alcohol use and dependence among employees.
  • Drug and alcohol abusers file medical claims that are three to four times more costly than the claims filed by individuals who don’t engage in drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Drug and alcohol abusers are 33% to 50% less productive.
  • Individuals who engage in drug and alcohol abuse are late for work three times more often than people who do not resort to drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Roughly 47% of the injuries and 40% of the industrial fatalities that take place in the U.S. workplace are correlated with alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
  • In one study, employees in the food service industry and in construction industry reported the highest occurrence of drug and alcohol abuse issues and difficulties compared to all the other industries that were examined.
  • An estimated 50% to 80% of loss associated with theft and pilferage is due to employees who engage in drug and alcohol abuse.
  • Research has demonstrated that workplace drug and alcohol testing programs are related to fewer occurrences of drug and alcohol abuse and dependence among employees.

Family members often deny or minimize drug addiction problems and unwittingly contribute to the continuation of drug abuse by well-meaning behaviors such as shielding the addict from adverse consequences of abuse or taking over family or economic responsibilities.

Employee Drug and Alcohol Testing Statistics and Facts: Conclusion

A number of statistics and facts about employee drug and alcohol testing have been listed.  It is hoped that these facts and statistics have added some insight into the importance of employee drug and alcohol testing that is taking place in today's organizations, corporations, companies, and institutions.

Addicts have a tendency to engage in various activities or to use particular substances as substitutes for more appropriate and healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with stress, anxiety, and with their everyday lives.

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