How to Help An Employee:

Most employer?s Substance Abuse Policies do not include a guarantee that the employer will make treatment available to all impaired employees. However, when a valuable employee comes to you and asks for help with a substance abuse problem, you may want to make some referrals available. Highly trained and skilled workers are valuable resources to your business and a little help can go a long way to keeping an employee. Your company health insurance may pay for this service or you may ask your employee to pay for treatment, but there are several resources available to find appropriate help:

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS (EAP)

EAP?s furnish professional counselors who provide confidential assessment and short-term counseling to employees and their families in order to assist in dealing with substance abuse, marriage and family problems, stress related problems, financial and legal difficulties. The business community recognizes that everyday life stresses and more serious problems such as drug abuse can negatively affect employee attendance, concentration and productivity. Employees realize that being provided with an EAP to help solve these problems means the employer values the employee. Whether or not an employee uses the services of the company EAP, there is more respect for the employer who provides the service. The EAP will keep the employer informed of the employee?s progress and compliance with treatment. Although having an EAP available is not a legal requirement, it is good business. You can locate an EAP near you by contacting the Employee Assistance Professional Association, Phone: or www.eap-association.com.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROFESSIONAL (SAP)

The EAP is an assessment service covering many personal issues including substance abuse. The SAP?s fundamental responsibility, however, is to provide a comprehensive assessment and clinical evaluation to determine if an employee requires assistance resolving problems associated with alcohol or illegal drug use. SAP?s are specialized trained substance abuse counselors. If an employee admits to having a substance abuse problem or has had a positive drug test, the SAP will be able to evaluate the severity of the problem and design an effective treatment program. SAP?s are trained to help the employee while providing counseling that has the least interference with the work place. Under the Federal Guidelines for Department of Transportation testing, evaluation by a SAP is required pre and post treatment. If you do not have DOT employees, the service is not required, but is wise to consider when you want a drug free, productive employee returned to you. You can locate a Substance Abuse Professional by contacting the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, Phone:  or www.naadac.com.

REHABILITATION PROGRAMS

There are many types of treatment programs available to employees. Some require in-patient treatment for short to longer periods of time. Others are solely out-patient and allow the employee to work a normal shift and still take advantage of treatment. Costs for these services range from low to high. Most programs will work with an employee and will bill for their services according to the employee?s ability to pay. Treatment programs advertise in telephone directories, through hospitals and other medical facilities and through the local Chambers of Commerce. A directory of rehabilitation programs and treatment centers can be found through the Drug & Alcohol Recovery Network D.A.R.N.), . Telephone:  or on the Net: www.darnweb.com.

FREE LIFETIME PROGRAMS

Some of the most successful treatment programs are those that meet daily and are free. Alcoholics
Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and religious associations are caring and very effective in helping people shed their former addictions. These groups can be found in telephone directories in every city in the country. Due to their anonymity they are usually reluctant to communicate with an employer, but they will have people sign in and can verify their attendance.

Feel free to print this Monthly Substance Abuse Statistical Analysis Worksheet. Your month-to-month statistics will help you evaluate the success of the program or warn you that changes might be needed. These statistics should be kept confidential and only discussed on a ?need to know? basis.