What Costs $120 Billion a Year?

It is the staggering cost of Illegal drug and alcohol abuse to our nation. Substance abuse creates a major financial burden on all segments of society, including the workplace.

Americans make up only 4% of the global population but consume two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs. 36% of the U.S. population has tried marijuna, cocaine or other illicit drugs. However it doesn't stop there, 9 million Americans are addicted to legal medications. Alcohol is the most widely abused drug among working adults. SAMSHA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) reports that annually 8.2% of full time workers aged 18-64 used illicit drugs in the last month and 8.8% consumed alcohol heavily in the past 60 days.

The rates of illicit drug use ranked highest in the food services industry (16.9%) followed by the construction industry (13.7%), and service occupations ranked third (13%).Up to 40% of industrial fatalities and 47% of industrial injuries can be linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Alcoholism is estimated to cause 500 million lost workdays annually. A study of job applicants for the US Postal Service who had taken pre-employment drug tests determined that those who tested positive were 66% more likely to be absent and 77% more likely to be discharged within 3 years of hire compared to applicants who tested negative.Among the population of full time employed illicit drug users, 44% work for small businesses with less than 24 employees versus 13% who work for large businesses with 500 or more employees.

When it comes to workplace substance abuse, small businesses have big disadvantages. They are less likely to have programs in place to combat the problem - such as Drug Free Workplaces - yet they are more likely to be the "employer of choice" for illicit drug users. The cost of just one error caused by an impaired employee can have devastating consequences to a small business.

The good news for both large and small employers is that there are many resources available that can protect their businesses from the negative impact of substance abuse. One important measure is to establish a Drug Free Workplace.

Kathy Santomassino is the Regional Manager for Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Programs Inc. (ASAP) and owns a risk management consulting business. You can reach her at 407-774-7554 or kathys@asap-programs.com