Wandering Alone in the Dark

Occasionally, you will have an employee who is so withdrawn into themselves that you don’t think that you will ever be able to establish a close bond or connection with them. This may be due to many reasons, but their withdrawal coupled with a certain reading on a drug screening test can be cause for very real concern.

Not everyone stresses out in the same way when they are faced with problems. Sometimes people fight the problem and will it to bow to their needs with their warrior like personality. Some people run away from issues and get in the habit of running from the slightest problems in their lives. Some individuals find that their mood becomes really depressed. And then you find people who, when they are stressed out, withdraw into themselves, into the quiet and solitude of their own minds and hearts, that it is practically impossible to pull them back out again.

When one of these individuals abuses drugs or alcohol, their mindset is destructive but not in the typical ways which we have all seen alcoholics to behave. Instead, they are wandering alone in the dark. They are used to being alone, so this is not where it is destructive for them. They live solitary lives, naturally and happily. But the darkness, that is what gets to them over time. In fact, substance abuse will not seem to even affect them at first and to a large extent it doesn’t. They already have mental habits of solitude, but these just happen to be how they think normally.

It is the darkness which is stifling and scary.

Wandering alone in the dark is much scarier than being in a crowd of people who are with you.

Mediscreen gives you the tools you need to use alcohol testing and drug screening on your own employees. We are accredited by NATA for urine testing and onsite saliva collections, we provide onsite drug and alcohol screening services nationwide and, most of all, we really care about the success and growth of your business. Find out which of your employees may need to receive some help. Nobody should have to wander alone in the dark.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/wandering-alone-in-the-dark/

New Commitments and Those Butterflies in Your Stomach

Anyone who has ever made a new, large commitment in their life knows exactly how scary and yet simultaneously exciting new commitments can be. Drug testing in Australia is meant to be reliable and strong, and to help be part of the support structure of your new ideas and your commitments in business. After all, your employees must be evaluated successfully, and what better way than through drug and alcohol testing? And what better way is there to implement this drug screening if not with onsite drug and alcohol screening? This is your future we are talking about here. This is your new investment, your new long term commitment, which must be made successful and be built up right. Workplace drug testing laws are meant to protect employees in certain businesses in high hazard industries, but this same protection should be covered by every company in Australia!

Alcohol drug testing is a part of our new commitment to you. Mediscreen forms new relationships with clients all the time, but each and every one of these relationships is a super long term commitment which we will have to back ourselves on continuously over the years. Needless to say, we use employee drug screening in our own company, as well. What better way to ensure the continuance of our company into the future?

Drug & alcohol testing, especially of NATA accredited quality brought to you by Mediscreen, is part and parcel of a whole picture. In your business, you will need a lot of different specialists in different areas of your company doing the best job in their field that they can possibly perform. Drug and alcohol testing is part of this picture, and drug testing equipment is available through our sister company, CMM Technology. We provide the onsite drug and alcohol testing services, and we provide this to each and every company in Australia which hires us. No matter where your worksite or job office location is, we can come to you and screen your employees for you. This is a guarantee of convenience that you cannot receive with very many other companies.

For more information on how you can jump into this wonderful new commitment with us.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/article /new-commitments-and-those-butterflies-in-your-stomach/

Remembering Our Pasts

Our past can be fraught with desire, anger, bitterness and love. There is so much to be nostalgic about, including the bad times, that it can be very difficult to let go of our pasts. And all of that is when we are clear headed and non-abusive. However, when you add drug or alcohol abuse to the situation, the past can creep forward into the present, and we either want to only live in the past or we want to only forget all about the past. Either of these is unnatural and takes away your wholeness as a person.

Remembering our pasts can be difficult, but it is also important to know how likely it is that our former mistakes and bad times will help us to make flawless decisions in the future. Drug and alcohol testing is part of understanding how this perspective works. Many people think that workplace drug testing is for wimps who do not trust people or who cannot manage their own employees themselves.

However, this is not the case at all.

Alcohol testing and drug screening are part of a simple, scientific process to weed out people who are determined to avoid bringing value to your company. Why else have you paid them if not to bring value to your business? Alcohol testing is necessary for those times when an employee is abusing alcohol or shows up to work drunk, and it’s obvious, but you still need a legal paper trail to protect your company from potential lawsuit. Workplace drug testing laws were initially implemented for the safety of workers in high hazard conditions, but just about every large company in Australia takes drug screening its current level of mass saturation.

Mediscreen is accredited by NATA and is part of your future. We bring you high quality onsite drug & alcohol testing. We understand how to service businesses better. We know how to bring mistakes to the forefront of your attention, so that you can make decisions concerning them. We know how to implement drug screening in a safe working environment. We are professionals, after all. For more information on making Mediscreen a part of your future.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/remembering-our-pasts/

Personal Problems or Substance Abuse?

One of the reasons that random drug alcohol testing programs are so important has nothing to do with keeping substances out of the workplace. It has to do with fairness and not rushing to judgment. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate when a person is having personal problems as opposed to being a substance abuser. The reality is that people with severe personal problems can exhibit many of the same symptoms as people using drugs or alcohol. Therefore, drug and alcohol tests that use reliable equipment or supplies and quality screening services protect workers from being unjustly accused of substance abuse.

Anyone who has experienced a critical personal problem and experiences extreme stress knows that the body and mind are impacted. This can lead to odd behaviours and extreme emotions. People under stress lose their perspective and make poor decisions. They overreact to situations and easily get into arguments with co-workers. Personal problems that cannot be left at home are brought into the workplace, leading to workers being over-critical and difficult to work with on a regular basis.¹ These people make more mistakes at work and have trouble handling the demands of their jobs.

Same Patterns but Different Causes

In fact, people having problems with family, finances, relationships, employment, and so on can experience many of the same physical effects as substance abusers. For example, stress can cause high blood pressure, contribute to weight gain or loss, lead to skin rashes, and so on. Stressed workers miss more work days due to sickness. When they do show up, they are less productive and unreliable because their thoughts are focused on personal problems. They have trouble sleeping, and that increases the negative impacts of stress on physical health and emotional well-being.

These are symptoms of stress. They are also the symptoms of substance abuse. A person using drugs or alcohol, especially on a routine basis, will have changing sleep patterns, experience noticeable changes in their weight, develop low self-esteem, and go through a series of mood swings.² Emotional outbursts are common, making the substance abuser difficult to work with because co-workers have no idea how the person will react to any particular situation.

What people under stress and drug addicts also have in common is the fact they are hiding something, so they can be evasive and refuse to answer questions. It is easy to assume a person experiencing changes in their behaviour or temperament is using some kind of drug or is an alcoholic, when in fact the person is exhibiting stress symptoms. Employers should only address worker problems from the perspective of job performance. When an employee is having problems, the employer can kindly remind the person there are resources available for employees needing assistance but cannot invade a person’s privacy. However, a random drug and alcohol testing program is valid according to the law and protects the employer and the employees from unjust accusations.

Powerful Knowledge

Employers should be aware that odd behaviour and emotional outbursts can be indications of substance abuse or a person under extreme stress. Each situation is different and achieving consistent responses as an employer can be challenging. Random drug and alcohol testing programs do more than simply detect substances. They enable employers to separate workers using illicit substances from those who are experiencing life problems. That is powerful knowledge that can guide an employer as to the next best step to take.

Mediscreen (mediscreen.net.au/index.php?mod=services) offers dependable screening services that help employers administer reliable drug and alcohol testing programs. Team members can collect and test samples on a schedule that fits the employer’s needs.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/personal-problems-or-substance-abuse/

Do Addicts Choose to be Addicts?

“To be or not to be?” If Hamlet were to present his soliloquy today he might phrase the question a bit differently: To be a drug addict or not to be a drug addict? That begs another question: Is addiction a disease or is it a choice? The answer is a confusing: Yes.

In 2009, research psychologist Gene Heyman published a book that presented a thesis with the premise that drug addiction is not a disease but is rather the consequence of a series of voluntary choices. Heyman is also a lecturer in psychology at the Harvard Medical School, and his book, “Addiction: A Disorder of Choice”, elicited a fury of responses. His theory flies in the face of the prestigious U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that works closely with scientists around the world, including in Australia. NIDA has taken the position that drug addiction is a disease of the brain.¹

So who is right? Heyman points out that many addicts quit taking drugs in their 30s as a matter of choice, while people with chronic diseases like diabetes cannot choose to stop being diabetic. He has a point, but since then additional research on the impact of drugs on the brain have produced new information that indicates Heyman’s thesis overly simplifies the many facets of addiction. A 2009 study conducted by a group of universities in Australia and Singapore reviewed the neurobiological research on drug addiction. The researchers called addiction a chronic condition as opposed to a chronic disease and discussed how addicts make the choice to use drugs for various reasons. These reasons include avoiding severe withdrawal symptoms and to achieve rewarding effects (scientific terminology for “highs”).²

But the report also points out that medical research had recently discovered there was a neurobiological pathway that underlies all addiction. It was becoming apparent that addiction is not just about making choices. Drug use creates “specific pharmacological and anatomical changes in brain activity” (Carter, p 32). Addiction is recognised as a complex condition that requires “...genetic, molecular, cellular, neurophysiological, cognitive, psychological and social explanations” (Carter, p. 35). Changes in the brain’s chemistry seem to underlie addictive behaviours, but the brain studies on addiction involved animals and not humans.

Breaking the Brain

Thanks to technology, medical professionals can now study human brains. In 2010, researchers at the Neurocentre Magendie in Bordeaux discovered that addiction could be the result of persistent impairment of synaptic functioning in the brain.³ It is like using something over and over again until it breaks, and you cannot fix it. The researchers call it pathological cerebral modifications that reach a point where the person is unable to overcome the modifications brought on by drug use. This was an early study linking repeated drug use to brain changes that cause addiction. How well a person can overcome the brain modifications caused by drugs explains why some people get addicted and some do not.

Since these studies, application of technology has shown many times that brain functioning can be altered by drugs. However, many people never reach the point of no return and can choose to stop using drugs. Employers learn over time that some employees are either truly addicted; enjoy using drugs and do not intend on stopping; are influenced by peer pressure; or are at a stage where choice and addiction are combating each other.

Each Worker is Unique

Drug addiction has both psychological and physical elements. Each worker has a different physiological makeup and psychological makeup. Random drug testing in the workplace is effective because it does not differentiate between people based on their reasons for using drugs. However, it is important to understand exactly how complex drug addiction really is. So the answer to the question, “To be drug addicted or not to be drug addicted?” is still “yes.”

Medical researchers are constantly discovering new information about the pathology of addiction and the behaviours it produces. Employers need to manage drug & alcohol testing programs with updated information and a state-of-the-art screening services provider like Mediscreen (mediscreen.net.au). 

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/do-addicts-choose-to-be-addicts/

Inside the Mind: Workers Who Justify Themselves to Relapse

People do not want to consider themselves as addicts or poor performers or sources of problems. As a result, they are good at justifying their behaviours, even when those behaviours are wrong. The justifications in their minds make perfect sense – to them – even if they seem unreasonable to others. Drug and alcohol dependency prompts these kinds of justifications because they enable people to hang on to their bad habits whilst attempting to reconcile the cognitive dissonance that creates emotional and mental stress. Though some people are truly unconcerned about their bad judgement or poor decision-making, most realise they are acting unreasonably by using illicit drugs or drinking alcohol in the workplace. Yet they continue to do so, and the justifications and lies begin. The justifications are meant to protect their view of themselves, stop co-workers from getting suspicious, and/or stop employers from insisting on a for-cause drug alcohol testing.

Relapse is the end of a staged process. When someone decides to give up drugs or alcohol, the first stage is contemplation. At that point, the person is ambivalent about quitting. The next state is taking action. The third state is maintenance during which the person changes behaviours to make a substance-free life. During maintenance, there comes a point there a person makes a decision to achieve long-term success or relapse.¹ Drug dependence increases the chances of relapse.

It Just Feels Good

Unfortunately, people can justify themselves back into addiction, and especially if they are risk-takers. Dependency is a function of the physical response to the drug, but it is also determined by a person’s willingness to be a risk-taker or novelty-seeker and by how rewarding they find the effects of substances.²

Relapse is the end result of giving in to a craving that has already been proven to be controllable.

A person who has a craving knows the wrong thing to do is use drugs or drink alcohol. Since the behaviour (using substances) would not fit the thoughts (drugs or alcohol would help), the person alter their thoughts to fit the situation. If this seems a bit circular, it is important to remember that concocting justifications is a process in which something wrong is turned right-side-up. Ultimately, in justifying relapse, the goal is to explain away the cognitive dissonance to bring behaviours and thoughts into alignment. Justifications can vary widely with employees telling themselves:

• They are making a big deal about drugs, but one time isn’t going to hurt me
• I can drink this time so I fit in at the office party; otherwise people will think I’m weird
• I will use a different drug than the one I was using and it won’t have the same effect
• My job is so stressful and that is not my fault; I need a way to really relax
• People who never use drugs don’t understand how much they help
• Life is short and sweet, so who cares? If I lose this job, I can always find another.
• Drugs and alcohol release my creativity
• I have insomnia and am desperate to get some sleep
• I get too anxious when I speak in front of a group; it’s important to my work that I be calm and professional and drugs help
• Do-gooders are always preaching to everyone else, but they are really just a bunch of hypocrites
• I have too much to manage between work, family, finances, and my elderly parents and have to find relief sometimes

Most employers have heard the justifications, and often at the point in time when an employee tests positive during a random drug and alcohol test. People who have recovered from addiction may have recovered physically but have not let go mentally. They do not want to admit that drugs and alcohol cannot be used safely and believe they are the exceptions to the rule. The person only needs the right justification to return to an addiction or habit.

Finding Life is Disappointing

Relapse justifications often centre on thoughts that being “clean” has not helped their life or work or family situation as much as expected. They will frequently turn on those who were their greatest supporters, whether spouse or counsellor or co-worker. The justifier tells him or herself that life after addiction should be happier, more perfect, more interesting, and certainly more fun. They exaggerate in their minds that the office party was so much more fun whilst drunk (forgetting all about getting sick in the bathroom), or that the long shift at work is only possible whilst high on meth (forgetting about the hallucinations and erratic behaviour that endangered the person’s life.)

Employers who are confronted with justifications for drug and alcohol use by employees should always be aware that relapse is the end result of a process that began long before discovery. It is important to only address the work-related issues like policy violation and job performance; however, employees should be directed to professional resources. Counsellors and health professionals understand the complexities of addiction and relapse and can specifically address the faulty thinking that leads to renewed use of illicit drugs and alcohol. One relapse does not mean the person will return to being an addict.

Random drug and alcohol testing programs are needed to ensure that workers do not use substances in the workplace. Whilst it is always hoped that people who went through treatment or counselling can stay away from substances from that point forward, the reality is that it does not work that way for many people. Mediscreen (mediscreen.net.au) can assist employers with flexible and dependable onsite drug and alcohol screening services and a web-based portal for ease of program management.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/inside-the-mind-workers-who-justify-themselves-to-relapse/

Changing Set Up To Fail Syndrome to Whole of Workplace

An employee is caught drinking alcohol in the bathroom, and this was the third offence. The supervisor fires the worker, since there are now three documented cases of drug and alcohol policy violations. The next day, the department manager requests a meeting with the supervisor. In the meeting, the manager explains that the fired worker is in the middle of an important project and there is no one else to take the person’s place. She insists that the employee is too valuable to dismiss and overturns the decision to fire the employee.

This is an example of how employers sabotage their drug and alcohol policies. The fired worker is back to work the next day, and the co-workers are mumbling about some people getting special treatment. Even if they do not say anything out loud, the co-workers are also talking among themselves about the fact the employer preaches about a substance free workplace and worker safety but obviously does not really care.

There is another problem too. The next worker who gets fired for using drugs and alcohol in the workplace will file a complaint with the Fair Work Commission, claiming discriminatory and inconsistent employer practices. If the other employee is given multiple chances, then why should the dismissed worker be treated any differently? Is she not as valuable as the bathroom alcoholic?

Strong or Weak?

These scenarios occur frequently, raising questions of fairness and the honesty of employers. They also raise the spectre of workers who are given special treatment over and over again and eventually fail because of it. Jean-Francois Manzoni and Jean-Louis Barsoux, French organisational behaviourists, developed a term to explain this process – the Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome.¹

The business researchers documented numerous cases in which manager responses and actions involving employees actually contributed to poor workplace performance. Manzoni and Barsoux found that managers tend to assign each employee to a strong or weak category soon after the person is hired and then treats the person accordingly. Strong employees are seen as talented achievers and all actions involving the person confirm the initial assessment. Thus the alcoholic in the bathroom may have “made a mistake” but the person’s good performance reviews and work justify keeping the person onboard. The person who is fired for the same offence was probably labelled as a weak employee, and violations of the drug and alcohol policy are perceived as intentional acts or an excuse to get rid of an employee.

Whole of Workplace Approach

The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome is a self-perpetuating system in that manager actions reinforce behaviour. Strong employees are given numerous chances to succeed and few things are seen as failures. Weak employees stop trying and that reinforces the employer’s initial perceptions. In the case of the strong worker, continued substance abuse reflects self-assurance and a self-importance that managers have supported. In the case of the weak performer, continued substance abuse reflects purposeful misconduct in the eyes of the manager. The disciplinary process is invoked to punish the employee who is not seen as valuable to the organisation.

Instead of promoting the development of the Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome, employers should incorporate a “whole-of-workplace” substance abuse prevention program. This approach includes implementation of a number of strategies for intervention.² Rather than firing some employees and retaining others, the whole-of-workplace approach treats everyone the same, thus sending a consistent message throughout the business. All employees are given equal access to education programs, are given equal opportunities to access rehabilitation programs or counselling, and are subjected to the same disciplinary process. Dismissals should be applied consistently and have documentation to support the actions, and the whole of management should support the final decision.

The drug and alcohol policy should always be consistently applied. Mediscreen (mediscreen.net.au) can help employers ensure consistent onsite drug and alcohol screening services are available 24/7. It is an important piece in the whole system of managing an effective program.

This article has been taken from : http://www.mediscreen.net.au/articles/changing-set-up-to-fail-syndrome-to-whole-of-workplace/