Most people who abuse alcohol or illicit drugs are employed.

• 10% -20% Rate of alcoholism & excessive drinking
• 2% - 7% Rate of illicit drug use
• $24.3 Billion in productivity losses
• Current heavy drinkers and illicit drug users are more than twice as likely to have skipped one or more days of work in the last month.

- Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse - 2002

• $81 Billion - estimated economic cost of substance abuse in American business annually in loss productivity
• 500 Million lost workdays are estimated annually because of alcoholism
• 76% of illicit drug users are employed either full-or part-time
• 81% of adult binge drinkers are employed either full-or part-time
• 80% of heavy drinkers are employed
• Problem gamblers and substance abusers can easily drive themselves into bankruptcy.

- US Dept. of Health & Human Services - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - 1999

Costs - Replacing an Employee:

• In addition to severance, replacing a professional employee can cost an employer up to one to two times the person's annual salary (recruitment, advertising, reviewing applications, travel, relocation, HR staff time, on-board training, as well as loss of company knowledge and expertise).

Addiction treatment costs less than replacing an employee,

especially for high-level professional employees.

Tel.: 416.465.8488
Fax: 416.465.9923