ABSTRACT
The combination of drugs and alcohol can produce a variety of effects that may severely impair a worker. Concentrations of drugs and alcohol remain in the bloodstream much longer than most users realize, and the effects of this combination may produce some undesired results. Drugs have a tendency to distort or block a worker's decision-making capability. Alcohol is a depressant affecting first the higher reasoning areas of the brain, with perhaps a feeling of relaxation or, in the company of others, a sense of exhilaration and conviviality due to the release of inhibitions. Occasional self-administration of volatile substances such as ether or chloroform in order to experience intoxication is a very old practice. The drug user is a different problem. Drug use at work affects eye-hand coordination and judgment which results in damage to equipment and serious injuries. Many companies are now utilizing a pre-employment drug screening test when employees show reasonable suspicion of drug use.
