Drug-Free – 10 Steps To Successfully Creating A Drug Awareness Program

• Anjali Dalal
• Nov, 3 2022
• Drug-free
• drug awareness
• drug awareness program
• drug-free workplace
• substance abuse

Creating a drug-free workplace is no easy feat, but it’s crucial to your company’s success.

In this blog post, we’ll go over some tips on how you can create a drug-free workplace and the benefits that come with it.

But before that, let’s understand the basics.

What Is Substance Use?

Substance use is consuming a drug or alcohol to experience a physical or emotional effect.

The substance may be taken orally, inhaled, injected, or applied topically.

Substance use can also include the act of taking prescription drugs in a manner other than prescribed by a physician.

How Can We Promote Drug-Free Lifestyle?

A drug-free lifestyle is a significant one.

One way to promote a drug-free lifestyle is by educating employees by giving drug-free courses and making them aware of its benefits.

The course will help them understand the danger of drugs and alcohol and make better decisions regarding their health.

What Is A Drug-Free Workplace?

A drug-free workplace does not allow drugs or alcohol at work.

Employees are prohibited from using drugs before or during work hours and being intoxicated at work.

It also means that employees cannot use drugs or alcohol in the office.

Why Is A Drug-Free Education Necessary In The Workplace?

Drug-free education is necessary for the workplace because it helps employees understand their actions’ consequences.

Furthermore, it helps them feel more comfortable taking charge of their health.

Drug-free education can be especially effective when it’s done in an environment that encourages open and honest communication.

For example, drug-free programs might include an employee-led panel discussion on how drugs affect individuals differently.

This panel can help employees see that there is no one-size-fits-all answer for what drugs do to you.

Drug-free education is not just about telling employees what they can’t do; it’s also about providing resources for those who need help quitting or staying clean.

What Is Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse is another form of substance use that differs from substance dependence in terms of severity and negative consequences.

However, it still involves compulsive, often uncontrollable consumption of drugs or alcohol.

It is the use of a substance to get high, which can lead to addiction.

The most common substances abused include alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs (including marijuana and other drugs), prescription medications (such as opioids), and even food or over-the-counter products like cough syrup.

How To Successfully Create A Drug-Free Workplace?

To successfully create a drug-free workplace, you must implement policies and procedures that address substance abuse within the organization.

Here are the ten steps to successfully creating drug awareness in the workplace.

Step 1: Understand Your Workplace

• Know the drug use in your workplace

• Know the resources to fight against drug use in your workplace

• Know the employees in your workplace who needs helps and who can assist you with this project

Step 2: Do Your Research

Next, you need to conduct a needs assessment. It will help identify any specific risks for your community and the impact of substance use on your community.

Step 3: Establish Goals

• Establish a clear definition of what “drug-free” means for your organization.

• Create an official policy that outlines the consequences of violating the drug policy, including disciplinary action and termination procedures.

• Ensure that the individuals enforcing the policy are well-trained in how to do so.

• Ensure that everyone understands what they can and cannot do under the company’s drug policy. You can do so by providing information about what constitutes violations and what they should do if someone violates it (such as informing supervisors).

Step 4: Develop a Plan

The fourth step in creating drug awareness programs is developing a plan. There are several steps to creating a plan:

• Understand your budget and how much money will be available to spend on the project;

• Determine how much time you have to complete the project;

• Identify who will be involved in the project (staff, volunteers, community members); and

• Plan out how you want the program to be rolled out.

Step 5: Secure Funding

There are a wide variety of funding sources for drug-free programs, including:

• Federal, state, and local governmental agencies

• Non-profit foundations and organizations that specialize in drug awareness programs

• The community at large, including businesses and individuals

Step 6: Train Your Team

The next step is to train your team.

Your team includes everyone involved in the day-to-day operations of your business, plus anyone who will be interacting with the public.

If you do not have training programs, several online resources can help receive you started.

For example, Coggno offers an online training course called “Drug-Free 101: Employee Essentials.“

This course helps the attendee/employee understand the following:

• the impact of substance abuse on an employee and their workplace

• specific dynamics about commonly abused drug

• the signs, symptoms & progression of the disease of addiction

• the process & reliability of drug/alcohol testing

• how employees’ rights are protected

• the specifics of seeking assistance and appropriate resources

• includes supplemental materials and resources for additional information

Once you have found an appropriate resource or developed your materials, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get started!

Step 7: Evaluate Processes and Practices

You want to ensure that your program is effective. You may also want to evaluate the impact of your programs or how much they have improved.

Furthermore, you may want to determine how much money you need to spend on programs.

And whether or not there are any other benefits to having such programs in place besides reducing employee drug use.

Step 8: Publish Materials

Remember, it’s not just about posting online about drug awareness programs or even letting people know about it; you should also ensure the materials are available to everyone.

It means ensuring that anyone can access them, whether they are looking for them.

It may also mean making them easy to understand with short text and simple graphics so that everyone can get something out of the content, even if they don’t speak English well or aren’t familiar with American culture (or any culture).

So, for example, suppose someone wants more information than what was provided in your drug-free material.

In that case, they should know where they can find it.

Ensure your website includes links back home so readers know where else they could go if they want more information on specific drug-related topics, like alcohol use disorder treatment, drug use consequences, etc.

Step 9: Engage the Youth Population

To be successful, you need to engage the youth in the planning process. There are several ways you can do this:

• Use youth as peer educators

• Provide opportunities for them to interact with others in their community

• Offer opportunities for them to interact with adults

Step 10: Seek Input from Participants

• Seek feedback from participants.

• Ask for feedback from community members.

• Ask for feedback from family members.

• Ask for feedback from teachers.

• Ask for feedback from friends and peers in the program, especially those who were previously involved with drugs or alcohol but are no longer using them. They can be great resources to help you improve your drug prevention message!

Make More Informed Decisions About Drug Use With A Drug-Free Program

A drug-free workplace promotes a culture of health, safety, and productivity by prohibiting alcohol, illicit drugs, and non-prescribed prescription drugs.

By creating a drug-free workplace, you can help employees get the help they need to shape a healthier workplace.

Some of Coggno’s most successful clients have found that a drug-free program helps them lower their costs associated with medical claims and absenteeism.

They also find that their employees are more productive and loyal when they know their employer cares about their overall health and well-being.

End Note

The key to a successful drug-free program is that it’s tailored to the needs of your community.

As you embark on your journey, remember the steps outlined here and that each is integral to creating an effective drug-free program.