In the traditional song, Auld Lang Syne, an alcoholic drink is called a "cup of kindness." But when a glass is raised once too often, when "use" of alcohol turns to "abuse" of alcohol, a belt of booze is anything but kind.
For corporations, the sobering fact is that American businesses lose $20 billion a year in lower production alone due to drinking problems of employees. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that five million Americans, rougly 7% of the national work force, are problem drinkers.
SoCal is among the companies that discovered two decades ago that alcohol abuse has seeped behind corporate walls. In 1961, the gas company established an alcohol rehabilitation program to bring troubled employees back to sobriety.
The two main features of the program are: counseling with a physician, who is a SoCal consultant, Dr. Nicholas Khoury, and the use of Antabuse, a drug that reacts chemically with alcohol to make an alcoholic sick if he or she loses the willpower and takes a drink. Employees may also seek help through community programs or other physicians.
"There are 27 people in the program now," says Herb Stewart, supervisor of employee benefits in industrial relations, who oversees the program. "Four of those are women. Approximately 80 to 90 employees have gone through the program since it was established in 1961."
But, those are not just statistics. Those are people who found themselves unable to function normally in their daily lives without depending on alcohol.
Most were referred to the program by supervisors, disturbed about decreased productivity or frequent absences. Some employees sought outside help on their own -- mustering what courage they could to try to shake off a habit that had grown too complex and frustrating to handle.
"I drank since I was 14 years old.
I would drink on the way home from work. When I got home, I would drink until I passed out. When I woke up, I would drink some more."
Those are the words of a man who works at SoCal. His confidentiality is protected by identifying him only as Joe (not his real name).
Like nearly all alcoholics, Joe's drinking problem grew steadily worse over time. It began as a "harmless" drink -- "just for fun."
"It was depressing," says Joe. "I was out of control. Drinking wasn't fun anymore. Everything just became a fog. I used to drink to have a good time; then it became a dependence."
For most alcoholics, the bottle provides comfort they can't seem to find elsewhere.
"From 70%-75% of alcoholics use alcohol to relax, to relieve tension," explains Dr. Khoury. "It has been my experience that the majority of alcoholic patients may drink socially and acceptably for periods varying from weeks to months before they actually get into trouble."
Mary (not her real name), one of four women in the company rehabilitation program, was a social drinker before becoming an alcoholic. Once she turned to alcohol -- wine in her case -- it was only six months until drinking had slowed her productivity and quality of work so much that her boss became alarmed. He confronted her with her declining attendance and performance and then referred her to the program for counseling.
Mary is a single woman who lives alone. She looked to alcohol to help her cope with a special, traumatic problem.
"I was physically attacked," she says. "I couldn't cope with it psychologically. I found that having a glass or two of wine in the evening helped ease the pain." One or two glasses of wine grew to six or seven a night.
But what a person drinks, or even how much, does not make a person an alcoholic. Khoury says, "It can be the most expensive Scotch or the cheapest wine. Before noon or after noon. Weekdays or weekends. What makes a person an alcoholic is the inability to function in a normal and acceptable manner."
Khoury says alcoholism potentially runs through all levels of a company, through all ages, and through all social and economic backgrounds. But, he believes, there is one common thread. "An alcoholic has difficulty accepting responsibility and is trying to escape reality. He knows he's escaping responsibility and the guilt bothers him."
Both Joe and Mary felt guilty, if not while they were drinking, at least after they were sober again.
A married man with children, Joe saw his dependency on alcohol becoming a burden to his family. "I would be grouchy a lot of the time. Not violent to the point of wife-beating or anything like that. But, it was hard for my wife because I wouldn't go places. I was a bad influence on my kids. They would say things like 'Well, I don't need to do my homework or be home at a certain time because Daddy's drunk again.' I didn't command the proper authority over them. I'm not proud of that at all."
Joe went to his supervisor of his own accord and says his boss never complained about the quality of his work, but he was disturbed by Joe's frequent absences.
"Certainly increased absenteeism is one possible sign of drinking," says Stewart, "but poor job performance -- when a good employee suddenly has problems -- probably is the biggest sign."
According to Stewart, that's when an individual's personal drinking problem becomes the company's problem as well.
Mary, aware of her own declining performance, feared she would lose her job. "That was the one big motivating factor for me to quick drinking and see a doctor," she says.
Such fear and resulting changes in a worker's personality also are signs that can tip a supervisor to an employee's possible alcoholism. Others are: decreased appetite, irritability, red, bloodshot eyes, trembling hands, sloppy appearance, frequent mistakes, poor work performance, chronic tardiness, and avoidance of co-workers.
Companies are so concerned about corporate alcoholism that more than 600 new industrial alcohol rehabilitation programs have been developed nationwide in the last few years.
There is plenty of reason to be concerned. Apart from the heavy financial losses to business, alcoholism is listed as the third worst killer in the nation, second only to cancer and heart disease. It's the second largest contributor to insanity and shortens life expectancy an average of 10-12 years.
Once a SoCal employee enrolls in the company rehabilitation program, he has not eliminated the possibility of losing his job. The employee must still bring job performance up to standards.
"We have an 80% success rate," says Stewart. "but that also means that 20% eventually are fired because they cannot overcome their drinking problem as it relates to their performance."
In many ways, they key person in SoCal's alcohol rehabilitation program is the supervisor.
It's up to the supervisor to be aware that an employee's work performance may be affected by problems with alcohol. It is the supervisor's responsibility to document those warning signs. And, inevitably, it is the supervisor's duty to confront the employee with his suspicions. That is not always easy. Many times, supervisor and employee have been associates for years and may be close friends.
"Sometimes a supervisor will not confront an employee because he or she feels it is possible to protect the employee. But that's the worst thing he or she can do," says Stewart. "It's not doing a favor for the person whose drinking problem is going to continue."
Both Joe and Mary found their supervisors concerned, understanding, and willing to help. If there were any job repercussions to admitting their alcoholism, neither was aware of any.
Joe believes his job performance has improved since joining the program six years ago. Mary, who has been in the program for two years, has received a promotion since seeking help.
These two reformed alcoholics and others like then are never "cured," says Khoury. That's why they continue to take the Antabuse drug and have regular consultations with the doctor.
No one really understands alcoholism unless they go through it," says Joe. "The inability to control your drinking. The tremendous frustration of trying to give it up. It's a crutch. You really have to make a decision everyday NOT to drink -- whether to take the Antabuse pill."
For Joe, the support of other alcoholics through Alcoholics Anonymous is what gave him the strength to continue his battle against booze.
Mary, however, says she doesn't know other alcoholics and preferred to handle the matter privately with her doctor, in addition to taking Antabuse daily.
It is not clear whether the social stigma of being an alcoholic has been reduced by education of the public. Joe believes it has and that reformed alcoholics must discuss alcoholism more openly in order to help others facing the same problems.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, Khoury says, because alcoholics were once considered outcasts and banished from their homes and churches.
But, that's not the case anymore, he adds, as the growing number of corporate and community rehabilitation programs would seem to indicate. Alcoholism is becoming more accepted as a disease.
And for that changed attitude. Joe is grateful. "The gas company probably saved my life," he says of the rehabilitation program. "It certainly saved my job."
"There are 27 people in the program now," says Herb Stewart, supervisor of employee benefits in industrial relations, who oversees the program. "Four of those are women. Approximately 80 to 90 employees have gone through the program since it was established in 1961."
But, those are not just statistics. Those are people who found themselves unable to function normally in their daily lives without depending on alcohol.
Most were referred to the program by supervisors, disturbed about decreased productivity or frequent absences. Some employees sought outside help on their own -- mustering what courage they could to try to shake off a habit that had grown too complex and frustrating to handle.
"I drank since I was 14 years old.
I would drink on the way home from work. When I got home, I would drink until I passed out. When I woke up, I would drink some more."
Those are the words of a man who works at SoCal. His confidentiality is protected by identifying him only as Joe (not his real name).
Like nearly all alcoholics, Joe's drinking problem grew steadily worse over time. It began as a "harmless" drink -- "just for fun."
"It was depressing," says Joe. "I was out of control. Drinking wasn't fun anymore. Everything just became a fog. I used to drink to have a good time; then it became a dependence."
For most alcoholics, the bottle provides comfort they can't seem to find elsewhere.
"From 70%-75% of alcoholics use alcohol to relax, to relieve tension," explains Dr. Khoury. "It has been my experience that the majority of alcoholic patients may drink socially and acceptably for periods varying from weeks to months before they actually get into trouble."
Mary (not her real name), one of four women in the company rehabilitation program, was a social drinker before becoming an alcoholic. Once she turned to alcohol -- wine in her case -- it was only six months until drinking had slowed her productivity and quality of work so much that her boss became alarmed. He confronted her with her declining attendance and performance and then referred her to the program for counseling.
Mary is a single woman who lives alone. She looked to alcohol to help her cope with a special, traumatic problem.
"I was physically attacked," she says. "I couldn't cope with it psychologically. I found that having a glass or two of wine in the evening helped ease the pain." One or two glasses of wine grew to six or seven a night.
But what a person drinks, or even how much, does not make a person an alcoholic. Khoury says, "It can be the most expensive Scotch or the cheapest wine. Before noon or after noon. Weekdays or weekends. What makes a person an alcoholic is the inability to function in a normal and acceptable manner."
Khoury says alcoholism potentially runs through all levels of a company, through all ages, and through all social and economic backgrounds. But, he believes, there is one common thread. "An alcoholic has difficulty accepting responsibility and is trying to escape reality. He knows he's escaping responsibility and the guilt bothers him."
Both Joe and Mary felt guilty, if not while they were drinking, at least after they were sober again.
A married man with children, Joe saw his dependency on alcohol becoming a burden to his family. "I would be grouchy a lot of the time. Not violent to the point of wife-beating or anything like that. But, it was hard for my wife because I wouldn't go places. I was a bad influence on my kids. They would say things like 'Well, I don't need to do my homework or be home at a certain time because Daddy's drunk again.' I didn't command the proper authority over them. I'm not proud of that at all."
Joe went to his supervisor of his own accord and says his boss never complained about the quality of his work, but he was disturbed by Joe's frequent absences.
"Certainly increased absenteeism is one possible sign of drinking," says Stewart, "but poor job performance -- when a good employee suddenly has problems -- probably is the biggest sign."
According to Stewart, that's when an individual's personal drinking problem becomes the company's problem as well.
Mary, aware of her own declining performance, feared she would lose her job. "That was the one big motivating factor for me to quick drinking and see a doctor," she says.
Such fear and resulting changes in a worker's personality also are signs that can tip a supervisor to an employee's possible alcoholism. Others are: decreased appetite, irritability, red, bloodshot eyes, trembling hands, sloppy appearance, frequent mistakes, poor work performance, chronic tardiness, and avoidance of co-workers.
Companies are so concerned about corporate alcoholism that more than 600 new industrial alcohol rehabilitation programs have been developed nationwide in the last few years.
There is plenty of reason to be concerned. Apart from the heavy financial losses to business, alcoholism is listed as the third worst killer in the nation, second only to cancer and heart disease. It's the second largest contributor to insanity and shortens life expectancy an average of 10-12 years.
Once a SoCal employee enrolls in the company rehabilitation program, he has not eliminated the possibility of losing his job. The employee must still bring job performance up to standards.
"We have an 80% success rate," says Stewart. "but that also means that 20% eventually are fired because they cannot overcome their drinking problem as it relates to their performance."
In many ways, they key person in SoCal's alcohol rehabilitation program is the supervisor.
It's up to the supervisor to be aware that an employee's work performance may be affected by problems with alcohol. It is the supervisor's responsibility to document those warning signs. And, inevitably, it is the supervisor's duty to confront the employee with his suspicions. That is not always easy. Many times, supervisor and employee have been associates for years and may be close friends.
"Sometimes a supervisor will not confront an employee because he or she feels it is possible to protect the employee. But that's the worst thing he or she can do," says Stewart. "It's not doing a favor for the person whose drinking problem is going to continue."
Both Joe and Mary found their supervisors concerned, understanding, and willing to help. If there were any job repercussions to admitting their alcoholism, neither was aware of any.
Joe believes his job performance has improved since joining the program six years ago. Mary, who has been in the program for two years, has received a promotion since seeking help.
These two reformed alcoholics and others like then are never "cured," says Khoury. That's why they continue to take the Antabuse drug and have regular consultations with the doctor.
No one really understands alcoholism unless they go through it," says Joe. "The inability to control your drinking. The tremendous frustration of trying to give it up. It's a crutch. You really have to make a decision everyday NOT to drink -- whether to take the Antabuse pill."
For Joe, the support of other alcoholics through Alcoholics Anonymous is what gave him the strength to continue his battle against booze.
Mary, however, says she doesn't know other alcoholics and preferred to handle the matter privately with her doctor, in addition to taking Antabuse daily.
It is not clear whether the social stigma of being an alcoholic has been reduced by education of the public. Joe believes it has and that reformed alcoholics must discuss alcoholism more openly in order to help others facing the same problems.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded, Khoury says, because alcoholics were once considered outcasts and banished from their homes and churches.
But, that's not the case anymore, he adds, as the growing number of corporate and community rehabilitation programs would seem to indicate. Alcoholism is becoming more accepted as a disease.
And for that changed attitude. Joe is grateful. "The gas company probably saved my life," he says of the rehabilitation program. "It certainly saved my job."
