DRINK & DRUGS NEWS :: Q&A

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Thanks to this issue's respondents for their contributions.

Question:

I'm a drugs worker and really enjoy my job. I've had training and a lot of support from my workplace. The problem is, I'm slipping back into using again. I don't want anyone to know, as I'm really worried I'll get the sack. I think someone at work suspects, and we have a strict employment policy here - my contract says I have to remain clean. I don't want to risk losing my job - what should I do? [Lisa, London]

Your replies...

Dear Lisa,

It is not for me or anyone else to tell you what you 'should' do. What is important, and indeed I would suggest vital to your recovery, is the fundamental honesty necessary in asking yourself some searching questions and truthfully answering them. Here's a few you might want to consider:

• How can I help others if I'm unwilling to help myself?
• How soon will it be before the conflict I'm experiencing leads to an escalation in my usage?
• Is the fear of losing my job, greater than the fear of being discovered?
• What would I advise my best friend to do?
• Do I have the courage to be my own best friend?
• What can I do today to ensure that I don't use?
• What would I rather do than use?

Best wishes,

Peter O'Loughlin, The Eden Lodge Practice.

Dear Lisa

I obviously don't know where you work or what their employment policy is, but having been in a similar position myself I do understand your predicament.

The one thing I can advise is keeping it bottled up and trying to hide the problem is not the answer. Your work will inevitably suffer and when your employer eventually finds out as they inevitably will, they will be less inclined to take a sympathetic line with you. You should find someone to talk to now! Whether that is one of your managers, human resources or an independent mediator you need to face up to the problem before you completely lose the confidence of your employer. You may be surprised by the help and support you are offered.

Don't leave it too late, as I did.

Best wishes

Sue

Hi Lisa

Ask yourself this: Can you do your job? Are you in control? Or is your using affecting your ability at work? Lots of employers feel they need a paper exercise in signing you off as 'clean' - but in my view the issue is whether you're worth employing or not.

Don't get paranoid and don't overreact. This issue is about you and your competence. How can you do your job properly if you're worried about being spied on?

My advice to you is don't speak to anyone at work about this right now. Take a bit of time off if you can and get yourself booked in to see someone who will be sympathetic and supportive to you. You know as well as I do that confidentiality won't go out of the window just because you're the one being helped.

Don't panic. You climbed out of a deep dark hole before. Have strength and you can do it again.

Respects

Steve

Dear Lisa,

This is a dilemma which faces many 'user workers': what to do and who to talk to when times get difficult. I have worked in the field for many years, and have seen many a great worker fall when drug use is discovered. It is all well and good to encourage 'ex' users into the field, but what mechanisms are in place to support them when times are tough? In my experience, most agencies take a disciplinary approach when drug use is discovered. I don't know who you work for; some agencies have drug-testing policies in place, and one large charity I know of has been known to insist on hair samples when drug use is suspected. This of course can reveal more than anyone would like to know.

Look after yourself, and if you feel under scrutiny, take some sick leave, try and reduce/control your use. Talk to those who will keep this confidential, assess yourself in terms of the impact that using may have on your ability to perform at work. If you got 'clean' through a 12-step programme, then return to meetings if you feel you can. Remember that it seems to be OK to be open about having a hangover, but we don't feel safe to talk about drug use amongst staff. This fear comes from the double standards that operate in the drugs field.

I would encourage you to talk to friends, and any other workers you know who are supportive and discreet or the Heroin Help Line (at Release), before ever going to your employers.

If you speak to your manager, you would need to know how she or he is expected to act in terms of the employment policy; they may be bound to report upwards. In real terms you could loose your job, and you need to think about the effect that may have on you and others, and on your drug use.

The drug field gives mixed and conflicting messages in terms of workers' drug use. There are few agencies, sadly, who will employ active users, and abstinence is generally insisted upon for those who reveal a past history of drug use. This means that when workers get a bit wobbly, they find it difficult to find a safe place to talk, as their employment hinges on them not using. I believe that this only makes matters worse.

Claire Robbins

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