4 ways to support employees with alcoholism

April 10, 2023 5:30 AM

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When drinking spirals into alcohol addiction, it's up to everyone to lend a supportive hand and help an individual toward recovery.

With alcohol addiction rates on the rise, the impact on health, mental wellness and the workplace has become hard to ignore. Around 30 million people struggle with alcohol addiction, and it's estimated that nearly 140,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year, according to the CDC. Employers have a unique opportunity to combat these statistics and provide support through healthcare benefits, mental health access and through the workplace itself, which can offer a structured environment for employees to heal and eventually thrive.

As April is Alcohol Awareness Month, take a look at the stories of employees who have utilized these benefits to guide them out of addiction, along with the offerings that make the biggest impact on recovery outcomes. Overcoming an addiction is not easy, but employees can benefit from a guiding hand.

Recovery ready

For Dana Piscapo, a successful director of sales operations at Software Platform Oracle, a dependence on alcohol quickly spiraled out of control during the pandemic. Yet with the support of her employer, along with education from the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education, Piscapo is working on her own recovery today, and supporting other employees through a mindfulness group she started at Oracle.

"The amount of support I've gotten here with Oracle, it just continues to grow," Piscapo says. "If employers can find a way to open up programs of peer support, to have a safe space for people to go to find resources, or to talk to somebody confidentially, it is a huge step in the right direction."

Read: Recovery ready

As addiction rates soar, employers can offer a lifeline

Employees with addictions cost employers $740 billion annually as a result of lost productivity and healthcare costs, according to American Addiction Centers. Of the more than 21 million people with substance use disorders in the U.S., just 10% seek treatment, due to stigma and other barriers to care. Yet employers can play a crucial role in helping employees feel safe disclosing their addiction, and then in seeking help and eventual recovery.

"Employees who are having trouble with substance misuse say they're not productive 20 or more hours a week. So that means that for the employer, maybe 13% of their total payroll is going toward paying people who are not able to give their best to work," says Dr. Dan Jolivet, workplace possibilities practice consultant at The Standard. "Employers want people at the office, they want people working. People with addictions benefit from work. It's much more than a paycheck — there's a sense of meaning and productivity, and employers can help support people to live their healthiest and most fulfilling lives."

Read: As addiction rates soar, employers can offer a lifeline

6 low-cost apps to help employees with drug and alcohol addiction

For employees struggling with drug or alcohol addictions, new innovations in telehealth benefits can be an accessible and affordable way to help them. For those already dealing with drug and alcohol addictions, the loss of in-person support during the pandemic made it even more difficult for them to get the consistent help they need.

But seeking treatment for these issues is no longer relegated to expensive and long-term rehab programs. Telehealth has stepped in to provide care and support that's accessible at all times. These apps and digital offerings also hope to lessen the stigma of addiction and provide employers with tools to help their employees seek the treatment they need.

Read: 6 low-cost apps to help employees with drug and alcohol addiction

Making your workplace drug-free and recovery friendly can help support people with addictions

The Drug-Free Workplace Act (DFWA) requires that employers must establish and maintain a drug-free workplace in accordance with the requirements of the law in order to receive federal contracts or grants. While some employers are focused on meeting the legal compliance of this act, increasingly, other employers are experimenting with the Recovery Friendly Workplace, which offers a more collaborative approach to addressing the issue of substance misuse, addiction and recovery in the workplace.

In addition to providing support and access to community resources, these initiatives also seek to reduce or eliminate barriers, like stigma, while creating psychologically safe workplace environments. Recovery Friendly Workplace champions understand that stable employment is an essential component of long-term recovery. Holding a steady job offers benefits that extend beyond the employee, to their families, to the company and by extension, to the broader community.

Read: Making your workplace drug-free and recovery friendly can help support people with addictions