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Useful information about substance abuse & the workplace
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Nadine Wentzell Consulting
Fostering safe workplaces
and healthy people

24 November 2020

Hello

You're receiving this newsletter because you have either been a client or have expressed interest in receiving information from me about drug and alcohol awareness in the workplace. If you’re not interested or have received this in error, simply unsubscribe here.

I've given a lot of thought as to whether or not a blog or newsletter would be of interest to so many of you with whom I have had the pleasure and honour of working. Until recently, I had been of the mindset that numerous individuals were much more knowledgeable than me about the world of managing the impacts of drugs and alcohol in the workplace. What I have come to realize is that I have a unique blend of knowledge and of understanding these key elements:

  • the science of pharmacy which allows me to know about drugs and their impact on health and safety, as well as understand the many elements of testing which elude so many and are made intentionally confusing by others;
  • the science of addiction – about which I continue to learn – and how this medical illness is stigmatized and generally viewed with a negative bias, and thus mishandled by the majority of organizations;
  • the practical aspects of writing a drug and alcohol policy and implementing a drug and alcohol program which engage people and foster culture change; and most importantly,
  • how to humanize addiction so that the focus is on health, wellness, and safety, where everyone wins in addressing one of the most misunderstood of all mental health conditions.

All this is complemented with "boots on the ground" experiences that have taken me from the wilds of Labrador to the beautiful North of Manitoba, to scallop draggers and factory trawler shrimp boats – places where the luxury of help that's just a phone call away is not realistic. It is these adventures and many more that have given me the practical experiences that no textbook, theory or classroom could ever provide. I know what works, and I apply processes that make a difference in the culture of a workplace; tried and true practices that result in healthy, safe, respectful and proactive organizations.

I'll be sending out these "info blurbs" intermittently hoping you will find some pearls of wisdom – something to help you address workplace challenges related to substance use.

I welcome all feedback, comments and questions you may have on anything about the information provided, and suggestions of topics you’d like to see in future newsletters.

Nadine Wentzell Consulting Inc
Workplace Drug, Alcohol and Cannabis Consultant

Office: 902-444-3636
Mobile: 902-209-3701
Web: nadinewentzell.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nadine-wentzell

Nadine
Wentzell
The Trouble With Not Knowing
When Substance Use Becomes an Addiction

My primary role as a Workplace Drug, Alcohol and Cannabis Consultant is to educate. One of the key areas of this focus is to help people understand that addiction is not a choice, a momentary lapse in morals, or a character flaw. It is a medical illness requiring a medical approach to treatment – similar to the approach applied to most medical conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes, for example.

Substance addiction is a significant and prevalent mental health disorder - it's in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association), for those of you who want to know the diagnostic source reference. The DSM-5 is the standard reference used by licensed health care professionals who treat people with mental health disorders. Specifically, it identifies the criteria for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) on a continuum from mild to severe – which is how addiction specialists will word their determination of substance addiction. This information is essential for employers to know because it guides subsequent actions and is the first step to appropriate management.

Why and how is all of this relevant to a workplace?

Substance addiction is a disability, a protected ground under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. An employer cannot discriminate on these grounds and has a duty to accommodate the employee – to the point of undue hardship. So, that begs the question: How is substance addiction determined? Well, many employers have Human Resource specialists who are tasked with figuring this all out; others have safety professionals and/or disability case managers they rely on to make this determination.

Any medical determinations made by any of these individuals subjects an employer to legal challenge, and rightfully so. Not to mention the problem that arises when employees who do not have health professional designations or qualifications access the personal and private medical information of other employees. This practice is not uncommon in many workplaces. It is important to remember that such information is protected under privacy and health law legislation, or both, depending on the province(s), state(s) and countries in which your organization conducts business. As you can probably begin to see – or have already figured out – this could go wrong in so many ways.


So, what’s the solution?

How does an employer begin to address this requirement? A determination of addiction needs to be made by an experienced and credentialled health care practitioner who meets the established criteria of a Substance Abuse Expert (SAE). An SAE is not to be confused with a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP), which is a US term that is not appropriately used in Canada (more on this in another newsletter).

An SAE is usually contracted by an employer on an "as-needed" basis. The SAE is the appropriate health professional specialist to conduct a face-to-face assessment whenever possible – however in the interim, in these days of COVID-19, a videoconference may have to suffice. After completing a comprehensive assessment, the SAE determines whether or not an employee has a substance addiction. This highly specialized health professional's involvement is the pivotal and key element of any effective health and safety-based Drug and Alcohol Program.

In my next newsletter, I’ll provide more information on when and how an SAE engages with an employer to facilitate the duty to accommodate in a cost-effective, specific and efficient process.

Nadine Wentzell Consulting Inc, 620-331 Lacewood Drive, Halifax, NS B3S 1K6, Canada


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