1 / 24

Neil Burton & Shaun Rose

Substance Misuse & The Workplace. Neil Burton & Shaun Rose. The Purpose. To provide a basic understanding of the signs, effects and risks of substance misuse. To provide understanding of the impact of substance misuse in the workplace

margiejustice
Download Presentation

Neil Burton & Shaun Rose

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Substance Misuse & The Workplace Neil Burton & Shaun Rose

  2. The Purpose To provide a basic understanding of the signs, effects and risks of substance misuse. To provide understanding of the impact of substance misuse in the workplace To provide understanding of the potential impact of substance use on employees

  3. What is a drug? “Any chemical substance which brings about a change in a person’s emotional state, bodily functioning or behaviour”

  4. What is Drug Misuse?

  5. Drug Misuse is….. The use of illegal drugs and the misuse, whether deliberate or unintentional, of prescribed drugs and substances such as solvents. Drug use that can harm the misuser both physically and mentally, and, through the misuser’s actions, other people and the environment. DoH

  6. What is Alcohol Misuse?

  7. Alcohol Misuse is.. Describes alcohol consumption that puts individuals at increased risk for adverse health and social consequences. Alcohol misuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships or ability to work Recommendations are (Department of health) Women should not regularly drink more than 2 - 3 units of alcohol per day and that men should not regularly drink more than 3 - 4 units of alcohol per day. It is advisable to have at least 2 alcohol free days per week. Therefore a woman is advised to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week and a man is advised to drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week.

  8. Depressants slow the nervous system Stimulants excite the nervous system All drugs fall into ‘Substance groupings’ Opiates/ Dissociative/Painkiller drugs Cannabis products are considered in a classification of their own because they act like a hallucinogen, but also produce depressant and stimulant effects. New Psychoactive Substances (legal highs) Other drugs: Steroids

  9. Stimulant Stimulants, sometimes called ‘uppers’, temporarily increase alertness and energy. The most commonly used street drugs that fall into this category are cocaine and amphetamines. Prescription stimulants come in tablets or capsules, when misused they are swallowed, injected in liquid form or crushed and snorted. Short-term effects exhaustion, apathy, depression, the ‘down that follows the up’ is immediate and lasting exhaustion that quickly leads the user to want to use the drug again. Soon it is not about getting ‘high’ but about trying to feel any energy at all! Long-term effects Addiction, repeated high doses of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Such doses may also result in dangerously high body temperature and an irregular heartbeat.

  10. Depressants ‘Downers’, these drugs come in tablet, capsule or liquid form (alcohol) they include alcohol, benzodiazepines (Librium) gases, glues, heroin Short-term effects Slow brain function, slowed pulse and breathing, lowered blood pressure, poor concentration, confusion, fatigue, dizziness, slurred speech, visual disturbance, disorientation lack of coordination, depression, agitation, intoxication, impaired judgement, aggression. Long-term effects Tolerance, need more to get same effect, depression, chronic fatigue, breathing difficulties, sexual problems, sleep problems, dependency, withdrawal symptoms, impaired memory, impaired judgement, impaired coordination.

  11. Hallucinogens LSD, Magic Mushrooms, Strong Cannabis, Ketamine. Short-term effects Trips, artistic expression, creativity, enhanced mood, altered sensory perceptions, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, tremor, shaking, paranoia, confusion, acute panic, stomach cramps, numbness in the mouth, unpredictable behaviour, overdose, unaware of the reality of surroundings. Long-term effects Physical dependence, psychological dependence, flashbacks, severe depression.

  12. Cannabis Products Sinsimillia, Weed, Skunk, Grass… Short-term effects An altered state of consciousness, feeling ‘high’, feeling happy, euphoric, relaxed, sociable and uninhibited, distorted perceptions of time and space, increased sensitivity to surroundings, vivid sense of taste, sight, smell and hearing, increased pulse and heart rate, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils, increased appetite, impaired coordination, impaired concentration, anxiety, panic, self-consciousness, paranoid thoughts, toxic psychosis. Long-term effects Mood fluctuation, fragmented thought, paranoia, panic attacks, hallucinations, tolerance, psychological dependence, stored and released slowly and unevenly back into the bloodstream, cancer, reduced resistance to infection, risk of psychosis, memory impairment, depression.

  13. Opiates Dissociative/Painkiller drugs Morphine…Ketamine….Heroin… Short-term effects Feeling detached from reality, visual and auditory distortions, rapid heart rate, anxiety, memory loss, impaired motor function, body tremors, numbness, unpredictable effects, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, respiratory problems, increased body temperature, seizures, muscle contractions, weight loss, overdose. Long-term effects Anxiety, memory loss, impaired cognitive functioning, physical dependence, psychological dependence, withdrawal, compromised immune system

  14. Levels of Substance Use Level 3 – Dependent DEPENDENCY 3 2 Level 2 – Recreational and coping MISUSE 1 Level 1 – experimenting USE 14

  15. How Long do drugs stay in the Body?

  16. How does substance misuse affect the workplace?

  17. Legislation The Human Rights Act 1998 This statute imposes a right to respect of home, correspondence and private life and has been termed a right to privacy. This will impose restriction in the manner in which an employer can interfere with or pry into an employee’s private life and may create free-standing rights enforceable against an employer. Emerging case law suggests that this will not prevent proportionate drug testing if there are justifiable safety reasons for testing.

  18. Drugs Screening and Testing (JAPAN) Justified - The role is so safety-critical, the law requires it, the prevalence of drugs and alcohol problems in the community where employees live, because of the age group and available information and statistics of the prevalence of substance misuse within specific age groups. Auditable - The decision making process consultation and testing and results are auditable. Proportionate - The action being taken is proportionate to the problem, or the risk to health and safety. Accountable - The decision making process demonstrates who the policy owner is Necessary - The drug testing is necessary to reduce the risk of harm to employees and public. Act as a deterrent and to ensure a risk free workplace.

  19. What is Tested?

  20. When to Test? Pre-EmploymentMany organisations require a medical examination before acceptance and this would form part of the medical. However, the test is only valid for the day it was taken. Random testingAll the workforce is tested in a random process to provide a constant deterrent Routine testingTesting at specific times. Usually a set number are tested per week through a process of random selection. With Cause’ TestingTesting where there is a specific reason e.g. after an accident at work. Employee Assistance ProgrammeWhere an Employee is participation in a programme they may be required to provide a test at regular intervals following treatment.

  21. Disciplinary Action Brining controlled drug onto work premises without prescription constitutes gross misconduct for which dismissal may be justified. A substance misuse policy must clearly state the employers position on this An employees refusal to undergo a drug test, or a positive result is not conclusive proof that they have brought the drug onto the premises'. If an employer takes disciplinary action as a result of an employees refusal to take a drug test, the employer may be in breach of contract.

  22. Drug Misuse Key facts:Between 2011 and 2012, an estimated 8.9% of adults used an illegal drug. For young people aged between 16 and 24, the figure was 19.3%. Although this is the lowest level of drug use since the government started collecting figures in 1996, drug misuse continues to have a negative effect on the health, wellbeing and quality of life of too many people. It costs an estimated £15.4 billion every year. In 2010 reported 320,000 heroin/crack users in England with 170,000 in treatmentIn 2008 56 fatal accidents and 207 serious reported accidents involved people impaired by drug use

  23. What services offer……. Reducing harm & staying safe 1:1 support Building life skills Resettlement & aftercare Peer support & voluntary work BBV screening and Hepatitis B vaccinations Medical Interventions (Script, Detox, Liver screening, medication) Residential Rehab

  24. THANK YOU ADDACTION – 01226 289058

More Related