What Every Employer Should Know

Alcohol and Substance abuse is a major public health problem in the United States.  In 1999, more than half of the nation's 12th graders tried drugs and more than one-quarter tried a drug other than marijuana.  And, although the consumption of alcohol is illegal for those under 21 years of age, more than 10 million current drinkers are age 12 to 20. What does this mean to employers? These teens could quite possibly be your employee's brothers, sisters and/or children, and quite possibly your future employees, if not already!

September is National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month, and it is important to note that substance abuse treatment is effective. An investment in substance abuse treatment yields a greater than 2-to-1 return on taxpayers' investment because of post-treatment reduction in costs associated with medical care and crimes related to alcohol and drugs.  Help is available by calling the National Substance Abuse Treatment Helpline @ 1-800-662-HELP.   

You can also get help from The Illinois Chamber.  We have an ongoing  Drug-Testing Initiative  specifically designed to assist employers with the problem of drugs in the workplace.  This program pays for drug-testing by enrolled employers.   Get the details of why you should implement a drug-testing program in your organization by visiting our Drug-Free Illinois Workplace site. (For more information contact Gloria Guy in our Springfield Office at gguy@ilchamber.org   or call her at 1-217-522-5512)

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