According to a SAMSHA news release, "The survey found that of the 19.4 million adults (age 18 and over) characterized with abuse of or dependence on alcohol or drugs (19.4 million) in 2003, 14.9 million (77 percent) were employed either full or part time. This amounts to over ten percent of full-time workers as well as over ten percent of part-time workers."
Overall, 19.5 million Americans ages 12 and older, eight percent of this population, currently use illicit drugs. Of the 16.7 million adult users (18 and older) of illicit drugs in 2003, 74 percent were employed either full time or part time.
Most With Alcohol and Drug Problems Are Employed
"Employers who think alcohol and drug abuse will never be a problem in their workplace need to consider that more than three quarters of adults who have serious drug and or alcohol problems are employed," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "Encouraging employees to find help when they need it can result in fewer accidents and fewer workers absent on Monday morning. It may even save an employee's life, family, or job.""Creating a drug-free workplace program or enhancing an existing program can lead to a healthier, more productive work force and be an important part of solving one of our nation’s most persistent problems," Curie said.
Drinking among U.S. workers can threaten public safety, impair job performance, and result in costly medical, social, and other problems affecting employees and employers alike, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Productivity losses attributed to alcohol alone were estimated at $119 billion for 1995.
