Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs: Results from the 1994 and 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

Worker Drug Use and Workplace Policies and Programs: Results from the 1994 and 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

3.2 Discussion of Substance Abuse and Workplace Outcomes

In both 1994 and 1997, current illicit drug users and current heavy alcohol users were more likely to say that they had worked for three or more employers in the past year than were non-users. Workers who reported current illicit drug use or heavy alcohol use had higher rates of unexcused absence and voluntary turnover in the past year than those who did not report drug or alcohol use. These results are consistent with results from previous research (Kandel, 1980; Kandel and Yamaguchi, 1987; National Research Council, 1994; Pratt and Tucker, 1989; Normand et al., 1990).

This chapter has not explored the potential interaction effects of sociodemographic characteristics and substance abuse status on workplace outcomes. To further identify the net effects of workers' sociodemographic characteristics and their drug use and heavy alcohol statuses on labor market outcomes among workers, additional multivariate analysis is needed.


Table 3.1 Percentage of Full-Time Workers, Age 18-49, Reporting Various Workplace Outcomes, by Current Illicit Drug and Heavy Alcohol Use, 1994 and 1997
	Current Illicit Drug Use				Heavy Alcohol Use¹
Workplace Outcome	Yes		No		Yes		No
Workplace Outcome	1994	1997	1994	1997	1994	1997	1994	1997
Worked for three or more employers in the past year	8.9	9.3	4.0⁺⁺	4.3⁺⁺	7.8	8.0	4.0⁺	4.4⁺
Missed two or more days of work in the past month due to illness or injury	10.9	12.8	9.1	8.5	9.5	12.4	9.2	8.5
Skipped one or more days of work in the past month	12.1	12.9	6.0⁺⁺	5.0^{a ++}	10.9	11.3	6.1⁺⁺	5.1⁺
Voluntarily left an employer in the past year	25.8	24.8	13.6⁺⁺	15.4⁺⁺	21.7	19.7	13.9⁺⁺	15.8
Fired by an employer in the past year	4.6	2.3	1.4⁺	1.2	3.6	0.9	1.4	1.4
Had a workplace accident in the past year	7.7	5.1	5.6	5.5	7.7	8.5	5.6	5.3

¹ Current heavy alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of at least five days in the previous 30 days.

⁺ Difference between users and non-users is statistically significant at the .05 level.

⁺⁺ Difference between users and non-users is statistically significant at the .01 level.

^a Difference between 1997 estimate and 1994 estimate is statistically significant at the .05 level.

Source: Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1994-B, 1997.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.

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