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.
"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.
