Hello everyone,
How i have missed you guys and my blooging. i have
been busy and so many things took me away from my hobby lol (don't say am too
known). the week has been so so so busy, but let me not bore you guys with this
speech.
During my absence i have been thinking on a topic
acually it's just a classwork given to me by my lecturer “Alcohol and
Drug Abuse ”in the business settings. This has really caught my attention and i
began researching and writing on it. This is what i have......
An alcoholic is anyone who
suffers from the disease of alcoholism. Alcoholism is a physical condition
whereby the body of an alcoholic has become physiologically dependent on
alcohol. Alcoholism is a physical condition and the active alcoholic is in the throws
of a true physical addiction. Alcoholics cannot control their drinking habits
and will often drink compulsively
Alcoholism
is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive
and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the
drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing.
Like many other diseases,
alcoholism is progressive and can become deadly. If left untreated, an
alcoholic is at risk of developing serious health problems. Alcohol affects all
the organs in the body, particularly the liver, heart, and pancreas. It also
affects brain functioning and, in extreme cases, can cause brain damage.
There are some alcoholics that
may be aware that their drinking is problematic. They may have tried to quit on
their own but have failed at their attempts. Unfortunately, many
alcoholics will suffer from feelings of hopelessness and depression due to
their inability to quick drinking on their own. Other alcoholics will simply
deny that they have a drinking problem whatsoever. Alcoholics can come up with
a number of excuses to justify their drinking, i.e. blaming it on work, stress
or a relationship. Their denial can be so powerful that they simply cannot see
how much their drinking is causing negative consequences in their life.
Many
people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It
can be wrongfully assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower
and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their
behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes
more than good intentions. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that
foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are
ready to do so.
Drug
abuse is a disease characterized by continued misuse of drugs even when faced
with drug-related job, legal, health, or family difficulties. Problems
associated with drug abuse must have existed a minimum of 12 months to meet the
diagnosis.
Addiction is a
chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and
use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those
around him or her. Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for
most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge a person’s self
control and ability to resist intense impulses urging them to take drugs.
Examples are Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana etc
Drug abuse and addiction have negative
consequences for individuals, for society and for the organization. Estimates
of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States, including
productivity and health- and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually.
This includes approximately $181 billion for illicit drugs, $193 billion for
tobacco, and $235 billion for alcohol. As staggering as these numbers are, they
do not fully describe the breadth of destructive public health and safety
implications of drug abuse and addiction, such as family disintegration, loss
of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, and child abuse.
According to
Scanlon (1986), employee alcoholism and drug abuse are estimated to cost
American business at least $26 billion total; ($16 billion and $10 billion
respectively), with $16 billion of this total cost directly related to lost
employee productivity, absenteeism, medical expenses, disability claims, and
corporate theft. Furthermore, more recent data show that drinking problems cost
employers $2,500 per employee per year in productivity losses, absenteeism, and
disability benefit claims, amounting to $15 to $20 billion a year (Scanlon,
1991). All of these costs are ultimately passed on to consumers in the form of
higher prices and/or higher taxes. According to Lipman, 1995, “Employers pay
dearly for drug abuse problems in the workplace. Drug abuse seriously erodes an
employer's financial standing and reduces a company's ability to compete,
costing businesses $60 billion each year.
There is no cure for drug abuse or drug addiction. Although
there are three main treatment goals.
To help patients stop using drugs, to
decrease the toxic effects of the drugs being used and to aid in symptoms of
drug withdrawal (“detoxification”) to prevent relapse. Successful treatment
depends on the drug user's recognition of the problem and desire to change.
Recovery takes a long time and is not an easy process. Patients may need
multiple courses of treatment.
And
after writing on this i say to myself, this is where human resource management
will have to come in, as an HR manager this is what they have to do....
·
Give the employee counselling.
·
Let them go through training.
·
Always check the performance preview
records, with that the HR manager can be able to check on their work
performance and know who lacks behind and the cause.
·
Document their charcter and attitude
towards work just incase of any court case, cos those emplyees are educated and
can hite back when they feel you want to fire them.
·
And do not discriminate base on their
problem
......TO BE CONT.
