Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Organizations

An organization is a social unit of people that is designed and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between the different activities and the members, and subdivisions and assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out different tasks. Organizations are open systems; they can affect and are affected by their environment (What is an organization? definition and meaning, 2013). Working in an organization individual’s deal with numerous issues. Drugs and alcohol abuse in organizations has become a main concern.

The environment includes everything around you. Good and bad things are a part of the environment. People and substance abuse is something that is a part of our environment. Therefore, people abuse substances such as drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for different and complex reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost. Drugs can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ate (Mental Health Center: Substance abuse, 2013). Abusing drugs and alcohol can lead to job loss, family feuds, homelessness, and even death. In big cities you are most likely to see a person who suffers from substance abuse and they are on the street for one of those three reason. Death is not far away if they keep up with this bad habit. This problem not only affects the individual but also the organization they are currently in. Drugs such as, cocaine, crack, marijuana, inhalants, club drugs, heroin, steroids are all examples of illegal drugs any individual could be using while in an organization that require all individuals to work in a drug free environment.

Drug and alcohol abuse can find its way into our organizations. Substance abuse should...

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...on’t tell policy that the nurses were using should be unacceptable and looked further into because everyone would now believe it’s okay for these harmful things to happen in organizations. We as people who work in organizations cannot allow it to happen so, if someone see or recognize it speak up it will mean a lot.

Works Cited

The National insitute on Alcohol and alcoholism. (2012, December). Retrieved November 20, 2013, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-abuse

Mental Health Center: Substance abuse. (2013). Retrieved from Webmd: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/substance-abuse

What is an organization? definition and meaning. (2013). Retrieved from Webfinance: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/organization.html

Monroe, T., & Kenaga, H. (2013). Don't ask don't tell: substance abuse and addiction among nurses. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, pp. 504-509.