Do You or Someone You Care About Have a Problem with Drugs?
The use of illegal
drugs can cause significant problems in one’s life. What might start
out as “recreational use” or a “weekend thing”
can easily become an all-consuming way of life. In 2002, almost 20 million
Americans were current users of illegal drugs. Although marijuana is the
most commonly used illegal drug, many other drugs are gaining in popularity,
including cocaine and crack cocaine, OxyContin, Ecstacy and heroin. 
If you’re wondering if you or a loved one has a problem with drugs, here are a few questions to help you determine. Please answer Yes or No to the following questions.
- Have you ever tested positive for drugs during a work or pre-employment drug test?
- Have you had trouble at work, such as lost a job due to drugs, or had trouble at home, such as frequent arguments, because of your drug use?
- Do people close to you complain about your drug use?
- Have you experienced any legal problems because of your drug use?
- Do you find that you have to use a greater amount of drugs in order to get the same effect you used to get from smaller amounts of drugs?
- Have you lost interest in doing things that do not involve drugs?
- Do you feel guilty about getting high, or have you lied about or hid your drug use?
- Have you tried to cut down or stop using drugs, but found that you couldn’t?
- Do you spend a lot of time thinking about getting high, getting high or recovering from getting high?
- Do you turn to drugs after a difficult day at work or after an argument with a loved one to help you deal with uncomfortable feelings?
Scoring your responses: If you answered “Yes” to at least two of the above questions, you or your loved one definitely has a problem with drugs. The good news is that you do not have to go through this alone. There is help available to you.
The Employee Assistance Program has helped many people effectively treat their drug problems. We urge you to call the EAP or speak to your primary care physician. There are many programs out there, even for people who do not have health insurance. Help is just a phone call away. We’re here when you are ready. You need to take the first step.
Call the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-888-5105.
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