Opioids are a growing worry in the US for everyone in the workspace; 2 in 3 HR professionals say that their workplace had been or will be affected by the rise of prescription drug abuse. But in order to fight against this crisis, we need to look at the bigger picture.
Let’s look at the different types of opioids. There are 4 main types of opioids: natural, semi-synthetic, synthetic, and illegal. Some examples of these are: morphine is natural, whereas heroin is illegal. The euphoria-inducing effects of these drugs can offer a safe-haven from physical and/or mental pain.
From 2016 to 2017 about 12 million americans misused pain medications and in 2017, the CDC announced that opioid use had reached epidemic levels. So when did this crisis begin?
In the 1990s opioids were increasingly prescribed for general and chronic pain treatment. Due to the fact that these opioids were scarcely regulated, addictions ran rampant and wasn’t very well understood so nearly nothing could be done.
Opioids affect the workplace in many negative ways. Opioids cause more mishaps and compromise workplace safety. Substance abusers also miss more work on average than other employees.
Find out how you can help in the fight against opioids here.
Infographic Courtesy of US Drug Test Centers https://www.usdrugtestcenters.com/opioid-crisis-and-the-american-workplace.html
