The drug abuse of prescription meds in the workspace is rising. In fact, it is a serious threat to workplace safety on the whole. Fact and figures reveal that 45 people die every day from painkiller abuse. It is also responsible for ten percent of compensation claims from workers. The abuse of prescription meds also affects the abilities of the employees to think and perform in a productive manner. Prescription drug use is the second most abused drug, whereas marijuana is on the top of the list. Some of the main occupations that seem to have more prescription drug abuse include food service or food preparation workers, construction workers, entertainment and sports, and workers in sales.
Things get worsen when employees do not accept that they have an issue. On the other hand, they try to hide the problem, and most of them do it because they do not want to lose their jobs. As a consequence, their situation worsens over time. There are ready-to-work programs for such workers; these treatment programs make sure that the patient does not lose his or her job due to addiction treatment. In fact, most companies offer EAP (Employee Assistance Programs), where they help determine if the worker is addicted and determine the best addiction treatment centers available. To stop things from getting bad to worse and avoid certain losses, employers also need to run awareness campaigns in this regard.
There has been a trend for doctors to overprescribe drugs for such chronic conditions as lower back pain and arthritis, to name a few. Because of the rise of volume-based practices, a number of doctors do not take the time to get to address the real issues behind the condition. The growing availability of obtaining controlled medications on the internet is also a major concern. Most workers using prescription painkillers work full-time. Employers should require verification of the medication and be able to ensure work safety to the worker and co-workers.
Worker’s compensation plans have estimated they spend about $1.4 million for narcotics on injured workers. The data also shows that by taking excess painkillers, the healing process is slowed down. Most of the patients also end up getting addicted to these opioids and then require more to relieve any pain. There are many inpatient and outpatient rehab places that are dedicated to helping such people.
There are various factors that can contribute to abusing prescription drugs in the workplace. If someone is already using prescription painkillers, these factors may precipitate the abuse of them:
- Long hours of work
- Low job satisfaction
- Fatigue
- Increased stress
- Increased job demands
The cost of prescription drug abuse on a business can be direct or indirect. The estimated cost for businesses is $81 billion dollars yearly. The highest costs are loss in productivity, accidents, absenteeism, and theft.
There are many drug treatment programs that specialize in prescription drug addiction. Medical specialists and addiction counselors are instrumental in the initial detox from the drugs as there are dangers to stopping these drugs abruptly.
