Alcohol and drug abuse may be associated with distress and are often linked to a wide array of other problems that degrade duty effectiveness and personal quality of life. People undergoing stressful life events may turn to alcohol to help alleviate their distress. While most, if not all, emergency public safety agencies maintain a "zero tolerance" policy for drug use, leaders should make every reasonable effort to retain members when problems with alcohol surface and help them return to full productivity.
Every opportunity should be taken to ensure that supervisory personnel are trained to understand the negative impact of substance abuse on operations, to identify the warning signs of abuse, and how to refer individuals for assessment and/or treatment. Commanders suspecting alcohol problems must refer the member to internal Department resources for an evaluation, or, if no internal resources are available then to an authorized EAP program specialist. Additionally, members with alcohol problems who have not yet gotten into trouble (i.e., alcohol-related incidents, driving under the influence) should be encouraged to voluntarily seek help without fear of negative consequences.
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