Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Organizations

888 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Drug abuse in the workplace

An organization is a social unit of people that is designed and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between the different activities and the members, and subdivisions and assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out different tasks. Organizations are open systems; they can affect and are affected by their environment (What is an organization? definition and meaning, 2013). Working in an organization individual’s deal with numerous issues. Drugs and alcohol abuse in organizations has become a main concern.
The environment includes everything around you. Good and bad things are a part of the environment. People and substance abuse is something that is a part of our environment. Therefore, people abuse substances such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for different and complex reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost. Drugs can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ate (Mental Health Center: Substance abuse, 2013). Abusing drugs and alcohol can lead to job loss, family feuds, homelessness, and even death. In big cities you are most likely to see a person who suffers from substance abuse and they are on the street for one of those three reason. Death is not far away if they keep up with this bad habit. This problem not only affects the individual but also the organization they are currently in. Drugs such as, cocaine, crack, marijuana, inhalants, club drugs, heroin, steroids are all examples of illegal drugs any individual could be using while in an organization that require all individuals to work in a drug free environment.
Drug and alcohol abuse can find its way into our organizations. Substance abuse should...

... middle of paper ...

...on’t tell policy that the nurses were using should be unacceptable and looked further into because everyone would now believe it’s okay for these harmful things to happen in organizations. We as people who work in organizations cannot allow it to happen so, if someone see or recognize it speak up it will mean a lot.

Works Cited
The National insitute on Alcohol and alcoholism. (2012, December). Retrieved November 20, 2013, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-abuse
Mental Health Center: Substance abuse. (2013). Retrieved from Webmd: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/substance-abuse
What is an organization? definition and meaning. (2013). Retrieved from Webfinance: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organization.html
Monroe, T., & Kenaga, H. (2013). Don't ask don't tell: substance abuse and addiction among nurses. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, pp. 504-509.

Show More
Related

  • Lowering the Drinking Age

    1790 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lily, Henrietta M. and Harmon, Daniel E. Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking. New York: the Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2012. Print.

    Read More

  • Dysfunctional Cycle Essay

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today, on the other hand, Americans perceive addiction as an illness - an infection that can be dealt with. Alcohol abuse and drug reliance can influence all parts of a person’s life. The long term effects of alcohol and drug usage, both licit and illegal, can cause serious health complications affecting every organ in the body, including the brain. It can also damage emotional and mental stability, finances, careers, and impact family, friends and the entire community in which an alcoholic or drug abuser lives. This type of dysfunctional cycle is passed down from prior generations and the cycle is never

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse Among Nurses

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the years, substance abuse in the United States has become a persistent issue affecting many individuals. In 2008, it was estimated that 17.8 million Americans over the age of 18 where substance dependent (Epstein, Burns, & Conlon, 2010). Many of these individuals being affected are nurses. Ponech (2000) stated that "approximately 10% of the nursing population has alcohol or drug abuse problems, and 6% has problems serious enough to interfere with their ability to practice" (as cited in Talbert, 2009, p.17). Studies show that nurses have a 50% higher rate of substance abuse compared to the rest of the public (Epstein et al., 2010). Among the many factors that contribute to the nurse’s issue of substance abuse, accessibility to drugs in the work environment has played a significant role. Substance abuse among nurses is an arising issue in need of attention, it is alarming to know that patient safety and care is in danger when a chemically impaired nurse is in the workplace.

    Read More

  • The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol Should Be Lowered to Eighteen

    614 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hanson, Dr. D., J., Heath, Dr. D., B., & Rudy, J., S. (1997-2013). Rethinking Alcohol Use By

    Read More

  • How Drug Addiction Affects Health and Behavior

    1147 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sarafino, Edward P. "Substance Use and Abuse." Health Psychology: Biopsychosocial Interactions. 7th ed. New York: Wiley, 2012. 182-214. Print.

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse: A Nationwide Epidemic

    2210 Words  | 5 Pages

    The consequences that follow the use of any drug are unfavorable. Although many individuals may see drug addiction as a mere lifestyle choice, it is a problem that many individuals suffer from and inevitably a growing issue that leaves major social and economic impacts.

    Read More

  • Nurse Impairment: A Problem that can Occur to Anyone

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    Monroe, T., & Kenaga, H. (2011). Don't ask don't tell: substance abuse and addiction among nurses. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 20(3/4), 504-509. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03518.x

    Read More

  • The Legal Drinking Age: 18 or 21?

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol Alert. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse Among Nurses

    1950 Words  | 4 Pages

    Monroe, Todd, and Heidi Kenaga. "Don't Ask Don't Tell: Substance Abuse And Addiction Among Nurses." Journal Of Clinical Nursing 20.3/4 (2011): 504-509. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse and Addiction among Registered Nurses

    1267 Words  | 3 Pages

    Monroe, T., & Kenaga, H. (2011). Don't ask don't tell: substance abuse and addiction among nurses. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 20(3/4), 504-509. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03518.x

    Read More

  • Mental Illness in Native Americans

    939 Words  | 2 Pages

    Saisan, Joanna, Melinda Smith, and Jeanne Segal. "Substance Abuse and Mental Health." Help Guide. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Substance Abuse In The Workplace Essay

    1149 Words  | 3 Pages

    The safety of those around the abuser is especially in danger because of the unpredictable factor. The unpredictable factor is not knowing how a person may act when buzzed or high. This factor puts all those around them in danger. In work places that control heavy equipment or deal with any kind of machinery the penalty can be even more sever. “Analyses of workplace fatalities showed that at least 11% of the victims had been drinking.” ("Working Partners - Statistics -Working Partners - Statistics - General Workplace Impact - SAPAA Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.) This statistic shows just how dangerous drinking on the job can affect your safety and the safety of those around you. “Furthermore, the impact of employee substance use and abuse is a problem that extends beyond the substance-using employee. There is evidence that co-worker job performance and attitudes are negatively affected. Workers have reported being put in danger, having been injured, or having had to work harder, to re-do work, or to cover for a co-worker as a result of a fellow employee’s drinking.” ("SAPAA Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.) Another result of drug and alcohol abuse is lack of motivation and decreasing work ethic. This is mostly caused from of the substance that is abused on the body, which relaxes muscles and decreases brain activity. It affects the workers around the abusers causing anxiety sometimes caused by the stress of confronting the abuser or the unpredictability of the employee. It affects customers by the unprofessionalism, and anxiety dealing with an abuser brings. Working in a public service job dealing with people day to day can deteriorate the view of the business by the person whose behavior is unacceptably unprofessional. For those who abuse may not consider all the affects it has not only on the person but

    Read More

  • Drug Addiction In Nursing Research

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first peer-reviewed article I chose was called “Don't Ask Don't Tell: Substance abuse and addiction among nurses.” This article was published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing (JCN) in 2011 by Todd Monroe and Hedi Kenaga. Todd Monroe is a registered nurse, who has

    Read More

  • The Roles Of Organizational Justice And Justice In An Organization

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    Organization is a group of people or a structured unit that works together to achieve collective goals. Every organization has their set of rules and policies. For this purpose a management structure is designed to assign role, responsibilities, activities, and authority to its members to carry different tasks. These roles and responsibilities affect and are affected by the environment of organizations (Business Dictionary, 2016).

    Read More

  • Alcohol and Drug Abuse

    1345 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alcohol and drug abuse is one of biggest problems in United States today. It is not only a personal problem that dramatically affects individuals' lives, but is a major social problem that affects society as whole. "Drug and alcohol abuse", these phrases we hear daily on the radio, television or in discussions of social problem. But what do they mean or what do we think and understand by it? Most of us don't really view drug or alcohol use as a problem, if that includes your grandmother taking two aspirins when she has a headache or your friends having few beers or drinks on Saturday night. What we really mean is that some drugs or alcohol are being used by some people or in some situations constitute problem with which our society must deal. It becomes a real problem when using or I should say abusing drugs cause accidents, antisocial behavior, broken relationships, family instability, crime and violence, poverty, unsafe streets and highways, worker absenteeism and nonproductivity, and the most tragic one death. The situation in which the drug or alcohol uses accurse often makes all the difference. The clearest example is the drinking of alcohol, when individual begins to drink during the job, at school, or in the morning, we have evidence that indicates a potential drinking problem. If a person takes narcotic drug because he just wrecked his knee while his physician prescribed playing football and the drug, most of us would be not concerned. If, on the other hand, he took the same drug on his own just because he likes the way it makes him feel, then we should begin to worry about him developing dependence. Even use of illegal drugs are sometimes acceptable, but it also depends on situation, for example in some countries smoking marijuana is legal just like drinking alcohol in United States. Some subcultures even in United States that accept the use of illegal drugs may distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable situation, some college age groups might accept marijuana smoking at a party on weekends, but not just before going to a calculus class. Most of people would accept a fact that a bartender or a waiter who is working at a night club is having a beer or a drink on his break or that a landscape worker is having a cold beer with his lunch on a hot summer day. I'm not saying that it is "OK" but we wouldn't complain a...

    Read More

More about Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Organizations

Open Document