Here’s how employers can manage opioid-addicted employees--and no, it’s not by firing them

If you tend to think of drug abusers as people who can’t manage relationships or hold down jobs, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of stigma surrounding addiction and drug dependence. However, these kinds of beliefs are often based on assumptions that turn out to be false. For instance, it was reported by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) that <a href="https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/workplace/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">70 percent of people who abuse drugs</a> in the U.S. have jobs. That means that of the 2 million Americans who are addicted to opioids, 1.4 million are employed. Estimates on how much employee addiction costs employers across America range from the low billions to almost $100 billion annually. Given those numbers, you might think the best policy would be to enact strict drug-testing procedures and terminate the employment of anyone found to be using drugs. Unfortunately, this approach would create a lot more problems than it would solve. <a href="https://medium.com/swlh/heres-how-employers-can-manage-opioid-addicted-employees-and-no-it-s-not-by-firing-them-cc3932f5b794">Website</a>