Finding Hope: You Can Help

Taking care of employees and helping them be successful is important for any industry. When an employee struggles with substance use, productivity suffers, accidents and injuries can increase, and absenteeism and low morale affect the whole team. Often people don’t know where to turn for help.

In a 2015 report, data from the 2008 to 2012 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) presented estimates of substance use behaviors and past year substance use disorder for people ages 18 to 64 who were employed full time. The surveys asked the type of business or industry in which the respondents worked.

The survey showed the highest rates of past month illicit drug use (19.1 percent) and of past year substance use disorder (16.9 percent) were found in the accommodations and food services industry. This industry ranked third (at 11.8 percent) behind mining and construction workers (17.5 and 16.5 percent respectively) for past month heavy alcohol use.

Not addressing these situations contributes to an unhealthy and risky work environment, not to mention potential economic and personal losses.

Help is Available

Resources for recovery can be found by calling the WA Recovery Helpline at 866–789–1511 or going to warecoveryhelpline.org. Professionally-trained staff provide emotional support and can connect callers with local treatment resources or more community services. “Hope is out there.”