Drug, Alcohol and Rehab Article - Executive Intervention

It may be difficult to believe that doctors, lawyers, judges, airline pilots and Fortune 500 corporate executives suffer from addiction, yet it is important to understand that addiction is an equal opportunity disease affecting professionals in the same way as it does for everybody else.

An executive intervention is an excellent option for individuals who are highly productive and functional in the workplace and who suffer from the disease of addiction. In these cases, the employers or partners of the professional are faced with the reality that addiction is a progressive disease, and that it is just a matter of time before the addiction causes productivity to decline, a work related accident or incident to occur, or deteriorating health, leaving the employer/partner no choice but to dismiss the once highly valued worker.

In the case where the employer is fully aware of the substance abuse problem, they can be a highly motivating force in the executive intervention. While it is preferable for the addict to make the decision on their own to accept treatment, oftentimes the addiction may be preventing any level of rational thought necessary to make such a decision. If the message delivered by the employer/partner at the executive intervention is grounded in complete support and with the assurance that the addict's position of employment will remain, provided treatment is accepted, the addict has an added incentive to accept treatment and begin the process of recovery.

There are situations where employers may not be aware of the employee's substance abuse problems. The family and friends are painfully aware of the addiction, yet the addict has been successful at hiding it from the workplace. The family may be justifiably concerned that it is just a matter of time before the addiction causes problems at work and jeopardizes the addict's employment status. In this case, the family must exercise great care in the executive intervention. It is ill advised to announce to employers and partners of the addict the existence of the addiction and the desire to go forward with an executive intervention without first consulting with an intervention specialist and discussing the risks and issues relative to any such disclosure.

Another issue that frequently appears in executive interventions is ego. I've intervened addicts on every level of the economic spectrum, and, for the most part, they have been charismatic and highly intelligent individuals. In an executive intervention, egos may have been elevated to a higher level. Advanced education, financial status and professional degrees and licenses sometimes create an additional defense mechanism that interventionists face in an executive intervention. As an example, it would not be unusual to expect quite a bit of negotiating and outright objections when intervening an attorney. The executive or professional status of the addict should not be construed as intimidating or a deterrent from going forward with the executive intervention. It does, however, illustrate the need for considerable preparation in the pre-intervention meeting.

Perhaps the most important factor to consider if you have a friend or family member who is suffering from addiction, is that addiction is progressive (gets worse over time) and that it can be fatal (accidents and a multitude of health related issues). Simply put, good things don't happen to people suffering from addiction and the problem rarely goes away on its own.

For more information on this issue visit http://www.stevenlodgeinterventions.com or If you have any questions regarding the executive intervention process, call Steven Lodge Interventions 866 534 4443.

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Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Truck Drivers

Driving a normal-sized vehicle under the influence of drugs and or alcohol is not a good idea. That idea becomes exponentially worse when the vehicle being driven is 80,000 pounds and prone to tipping. Drug and alcohol abuse is actually a widespread problem among truck drivers across the United States. They use the drugs, particularly stimulants, to help them push through a shift and get extra hours and miles. Sometimes they're used to help a driver get a shipment somewhere earlier than expected. There are numerous reasons for these substances but they all reduce a driver's ability to transport goods safely.

Drug abuse mainly falls into two categories. A person generally is using either marijuana or methamphetamines.

Marijuana

Many people in the United States, not just truck drivers, believe that driving after smoking a joint makes them a more effective driver. This is, quite frankly, a ridiculous claim. Smoking a joint affects an individual's ability to concentrate, their perception, and their reaction time up to 24 hours after the single joint is smoked. That gives a joint a much longer period of effects than drinking a single alcoholic beverage does. The National Transportation Board found that 12.5% of all fatal truck accidents had marijuana involved.

Methamphetamines

Truck drivers across the country are always looking for ways to beat the system. The system here is a set of federal regulations that dictate how many hours in a day a truck driver can work. Truck drivers, in many cases, want to drive more hours in a day or put more miles behind them in a single day in order to gain an advantage and deliver their cargo to its destination a bit earlier.

Because of this desire, truck drivers often turn to methamphetamines because they fall under the class of stimulants. Stimulants will keep you up at night, like coffee which has caffeine in it. This allows the truck drivers to work for just a little bit longer without falling asleep.

This problem is so widespread that in a recent survey of 20 truck drivers, 17 of the 20 said that methamphetamines were easy to procure at any truck stop. That is 85% of the truck drivers surveyed. The national average probably wouldn't be that high but no one really knows.

Alcohol Abuse

The other area of substance abuse for truck drivers involves alcohol. This problem is just as common among truck drivers as it is among ordinary drivers, if not more so. Truck drivers have higher penalties for drunk driving and the lower allowable BAC, (.04 to .08), 1-3% of all truck accidents involve an alcohol impaired driver. This number used to be much higher but has come down recently thanks to harsh enforcement and elevated penalties. 1-3% still amounts to 46 and 140 fatal truck accidents that result from alcohol impairment.

A driver does not have to be legally drunk for their driving ability to be impaired. Even with a low-level BAC, alcohol will still slow a driver's reaction time and affect their reflexes. Because the Federal government recognizes that trucks are a greater threat to the well-being of others, Federal regulations prohibit commercial truck drivers from operating their vehicles with a BAC greater than .04. This amounts to half the legal limit for ordinary drivers.

Joseph Devine

If you would like more information concerning truck accidents, contact the truck accident lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 or via their website, http://www.truckaccident-lawyers.com. Their team will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have concerning any element of truck accidents.

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