Alcohol abuse not only affects the physical health of its abuser, but also disrupts his/her social and occupational functioning, It has been noticed that alcohol abuse is the major cause of job disfunction. Frequent emotional outbursts on the job many a times can be alcohol related, This frequently leads its abuser to being fired from the job, thus resulting in chaos in his social life,
America loses almost 2 billion dollars as a result of loss in efficiency caused by alcohol abuse. We have the responsibility toward the country we adopted to improve its work force. So let us look into ourselves or to others, in order to detect anyone, who is suffering from this ghostly disease and try to help,
Common difficulties in the work place posed by alcohol abuse can be summed up in three categories:
ATTENDANCE: Frequent absenteeism and tardiness, leaving early, returning late from coffee and lunch breaks, frequently late in the morning.
PERFORMANCE: Job efficiency is also likely to be diminished as is the safety with which the employee performs his duties. Any worker who is having an increasing number of minor accidents at the workplace should always be evaluated for alcohol abuse.
ATTITUDE: The individuals’ attitude toward the job also provides further clues. Arrogant behavior toward customers or clients, imitable outbursts on the job and “snapping back” at the supervisors, laziness and reclusiveness as some of the clues concerning individuals change in attitudes due to its abuse.
In addition we should also be alerted to the following warning signals. Moodiness and unusual sensitivity leading to arguments,
Procrastination or a growing inattention to details.
Changes in appearance, such as a swollen or flushed face, red or bleary eyes, or increasing carelessness in dress,
Hand tremors.
Memory lapses.
Drinking habits different from those of companions such as drinking faster, sneaking drinks, drinking longer, heavy spending on alcohol),
Evidence of domestic or financial problems.
Marked sensitivity to suggestions that alcohol may be a problem.
If you think yourself or somebody else at work is displaying the above mentioned warning signals then immediate efforts should be made to seek help, Remember, denial of the problem exacerbates the complications. There is no cure for this disease; Total abstinence is the only way to get rid of this menace. Participation in Alcoholic Anonymous meetings can also help quite a bit. Make your life pleasant by cutting down on your alcohol consumption,
Article extracted from this publication >> June 27, 1986
