Drug abuse starts making its way into the office

By David and Joyce Djaelani Gordon

JAKARTA (JP): The workplace -- how do you define it? For some individuals the workplace is a school or university; for others it may mean home, a shop, an office, a factory, a market, military camp or police department.

Today there are some 210 million plus people living in Indonesia. A large proportion, about 60 percent, of these millions are part of the work force, or at least, are of working age.

A large number of those are likely to be abusing drugs, as drug abuse and drug addiction have now reached epidemic and crisis proportions from Sabang to Merauke.

We are already seeing a soaring number of drug abusers and addicts, individuals who are 30 years old and over, seeking treatment in our drug recovery programs and centers. These individuals are the workers, management and executives who are the backbone of the workplace. As the phenomenon of drug use and abuse increases, so will the associated problems.

These people are using drugs for recreation, pleasure and fun, plus the after-work and weekend party-scene, and for relief from symptomatic related work stress, anxiety and overload.

Another reason or excuse that many individuals manipulate to justify using drugs is for "business purposes". This means having to entertain business associates and clients with alcohol and drugs, all in the name of the job.

Alcohol, although some may try to contest this point, is a drug, and often an abused drug. Not everyone who drinks has a problem with alcohol. However, those who get drunk semiregularly or regularly, those who have blackouts (can't remember what they did or what they said while under the influence of alcohol) and those have direct problems regarding alcohol are considered to be alcohol abusers or alcoholics.

Drug use and drug abuse will become even more problematic in the workplace shortly, as today's younger generation, those who have already become a faithful part of the current and emerging Indonesian drug subculture, and are using a variety of drugs today, will become tomorrow's workforce.

The most used and abused drugs in the workplace presently are alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, barbiturates (tranquilizers) and shabu-shabu (methamphetamine). The latter is rapidly becoming the "drug of choice" with the executive class (which includes both males and females). All of these drugs are easy to obtain in and around any large business building or complex, medium-sized or large hotel, marketplace, entertainment center, disco or night spot, shopping center or mall, and most local hangouts.

To consider that drug abuse and drug addiction cannot and will not affect multitudes of men and women in the workplace is at best naive, and at worst enormously foolish. Young people and the working classes are the two primary habitats where drug abuse and addiction strikes with the most severity.

Meanwhile, we must also recognize that education about drug abuse and addiction, as well as education about sex and sexuality still remains almost nonexistent within our school and educational systems, and religious institutions.

It is this lack of education that inflames and greatly compounds the predicament we face today with drug abuse and addiction, and substantially increases the risk of exposure and becoming infected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

The type of workplace where drug abuse and addiction are most noticeably increasing is the large factory (especially where there are shift changes and late night shifts). Also, middle and upper-middle class employees and higher managerial and elite business executives are often affected.

Drug abuse and addiction are considerably more complicated, costly and lethal in the workplace because of the HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C pandemics raging throughout our nation.

There are three major factors that lead people into using drugs:

The Pleasure Factor: Part of being employed has to do with the idea of receiving a reward for doing or accomplishing something. The Pleasure Factor is about the reward of having something exciting and stimulating in one's life on a regular and ongoing basis, and of having the financial resources to be able to buy something special or significant when wanted.

It is also about being able to obtain something desired or needed. The idea is that as one becomes more successful, one's world will become a personal playground, and with success the world will always remain a playground. Drugs create an illusionary euphoria that more is better -- more money, more work, more success, that more of everything will create more pleasure.

The Pain Factor: Work is often stressful. Stress is pain, and drugs relieve pain. Many, many working people use drugs to relieve stress, tension, anxiety and nervousness. Alcohol, tranquilizers, marijuana and shabu-shabu are believed to be the best for taking stress and pain away. Drugs do take pain away, at least for a while.

Many people in the business and work world also abuse pills. The pill poppers can go undetected for considerably long periods of time, especially when their reasons for using painkillers and stress relievers seem justified.

But drugs give only temporary relief from pain. Yet people think, and believe, if they use more drugs, they will get more relief from their pain. This thinking often leads to drug abuse, then addiction.

Peer Pressure: This is all about fitting in and wanting to get ahead. The ego's need and desire to be someone special, someone important, someone who commands respect and admiration often leads to poor judgment in personal decision-making.

Egos in the workplace are often very fragile, and it is a known and accepted fact that if a person wants to get ahead at their workplace, there are specific rules and certain people one must bestow with favors and must follow. Often people will do almost anything to reach the top of the workplace ladder, and this includes using drugs.

Another issue that compounds the problem of drugs is denial. The government, NGOs, the religious community, the health and welfare community, educators, the police and military (all of these organizations and institutions are also workplaces) are nervously clamoring for help and assistance. At the same time, most of these organizations are publicly still denying there is a full-blown-crisis of drug abuse and addiction.

In a few short years the tragic truth and realization will be coldly evident in our Indonesian workplaces. Drug abusers and addicts will cause great harm and damage to organizations, institutions and companies.

Profitability and quality control will fall abruptly. The dependability of those counted on for production and leadership will diminish greatly. Theft (of both money and goods) in the workplace will increase dramatically. Lying and fabrication of the truth -- and reasons and excuses -- about why something is not done, accomplished or completed properly will increase greatly.

Hostility and resentment within the organization will escalate and interfere with the entire daily operation. Absenteeism, and time away from work, due to being sick because of drug abuse and alcohol hangovers will increase sharply. And HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C will take a far greater toll in terms of loss of employees, disability and death in the workplace than could be imagined today.

We also need to think about the fact that even though many people in the workplace are not using, abusing or are addicted to drugs or alcohol, the chances are increasing that someone in their home has already fallen victim. Having an addict creating havoc in an employee's home easily distracts an employee from his day to day judgment and productivity at the workplace.

Organizations, large and small, must immediately begin a series of continuing informative lectures, seminars, training and programs for their management and employees on drug abuse and addiction, and on health education, which definitely includes information on HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. The cost of this kind of "common sense insurance" within the workplace is negligible today -- compared with the actual cost of not addressing the issues of drug abuse and addiction, and allowing viruses to become established in the very near future.

The workplace must face the threatening and fatal challenges of these issues today. If not, a portion of the workplace will surely become deserted and be closed down tomorrow! The workplace is about business, and business is about people. And without people, there is no business.

The authors are the directors of Yayasan Hati Kita (http://www.angelfire.com/hi/joydave).