10/ 15/ 2007
From the Department of Labor's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace
Methamphetamine is a dangerous, highly addictive drug that has emerged as a serious problem across the nation. A derivative of amphetamine, it is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system.
Methamphetamine use has traditionally been associated with white, rural, predominantly male blue-collar workers somewhere in their 20s or 30s. While there is not a “typical meth user,” statistics show that use is up among women and college students and that the age of initiation for meth users is between 20 and 24 years old. Some people use methamphetamine to lose weight or alleviate stress; workers may use it in an attempt to be more productive. Although meth use seems to initially reduce stress and improve performance by increasing concentration and providing energy to work longer hours without needing to rest, the inevitable crash ultimately depletes the individual and causes him to seek more of the drug and its energizing effects. The more the high and its effects are sought, the less likely it will ever be attained again because of the way methamphetamine damages brain cells.
On a positive note, workplace methamphetamine use appears to be declining. Quest Diagnostics' Drug Testing Index from June 2006 indicates that methamphetamine use in the workplace decreased significantly during 2005. This decline is attributed, in part, to workplace drug-testing programs. Nonetheless, there are those who still take meth at some work sites.
How methamphetamine impacts workplace behavior
Currently, there is only limited industry-specific information available about which professions use methamphetamine. Some groups, including truck drivers, restaurant, construction and factory workers, white-collar workers and athletes, may be especially susceptible to the illusion that using meth is beneficial. In these particular industries, long hours, fatigue and productiveness all play a role in job success.
While it is not the role of the employer, supervisor or manager to diagnose substance use, abuse or addiction, it is helpful to understand some signs and symptoms of methamphetamine use. In the workplace, the main area of focus is work performance and presenteeism, or being at work when there is not an overriding necessity. When a worker is high on methamphetamine, that person can initially be very productive, focused and efficient in his job performance. This phase of productivity does not continue and, as research indicates, an inability to ignore distraction and focus on a task is a possible indication of methamphetamine use.
Certain other behaviors may be a sign of methamphetamine use. When a meth user begins to come down from the high, it can cause feelings of anxiety and emptiness, resulting in extreme irritability and paranoia. Behavior may be unpredictable and dangerous if the person is startled, confused or confronted. Other signs and symptoms of methamphetamine use include a lack of appetite, unexplained weight loss, insomnia, dilated pupils, hand tremors, dry mouth, excessive talking, delusions of grandeur and hallucinations.
Methamphetamine has the potential to increase workplace violence. It may be verbal or physical, but physical expressions of irritability are common among methamphetamine users. Methamphetamine use can also manifest itself as identity theft. Because methamphetamine acts on the part of the brain that causes a person to do something repeatedly, users can be quite skilled at stealing a person's identity to support their substance habit. With added energy, the ability to focus and an inability to sleep while high on meth, the meth addict has time to figure out ways to get more meth. According to a 2004 survey by the Identity Theft Resource Center, 14 percent of victims of identity theft said the impostor was an employee of a business who had their information—and the cost of identity theft to a business for 2004 was over $49,000.
Methamphetamine use contributes to financial loss through absenteeism, increased illness rates and accidents, lost productivity and low employee morale. In actual dollar figures, a University of Arkansas' Center for Business and Economic Research report determined that meth-addicted employees cost each business just under $47,500 per year in Benton County, Ark,, and researchers believe these findings translate to other areas of the country. And, as with any substance problem, this often causes a rise in health-care costs and workers' compensation claims.
Deterrent to methamphetamine use in your workplace
One of the best deterrents for preventing methamphetamine in the workplace is a comprehensive drug-free workplace program. It includes a policy; training for supervisors and employees; assistance or support to employees who have problems with substances; and drug testing. Through this type of program, it is possible to identify an employee with a methamphetamine problem and help him get assistance for treatment. For information about how to implement a drug-free workplace program, visit the U.S. Department of Labor's Working Partners Web site. This site also offers a PowerPoint presentation on Methamphetamine in the Workplace.
