DOT Supervisor Training in Reasonable Suspicion: Don't Get Confused by Terminology

"I hope above hope I can drink again.
I just need to deal with my depression, and I'm set." NOPE!

If you are new to education about substance abuse, the first think you need to know and teach others (if you are a DOT educator) is that alcoholism, drug addictions, and addictive disease are generally interchangeable terms. 

Don't get confused by the terminology. It will not be that important.

Realize however that medical professionals are continually debating the mostly settled science on the cause of alcoholism, and the psychiatric community especially, has a lot to lose by the growing end of psychiatric treatment for alcoholism -- in other words treating alcoholism as a mental disorder. Those days are done. It's nearly all about genetics.

By the way, alcoholics and drug addicts absolutely love to hear that their addiction is a psychiatric based illness. Do you know why? After all, who wants to think of themselves as psychiatric ill?

Well, if you think alcoholism or addiction is a psychiatric problem, then you have hope of using again! You simply need to treat your psychiatric problem successfully, right. This is completely bogus. This however, is why so many millions of addicts die of their illness. They psychiatric message is KILLING THEM.

When alcoholics learn their illness is bio-genic and they can never, ever drink alcohol safely, all hope is lost for drinking alcohol again. See the difference? Now you must get angry, grieve, but face the truth and do what it takes to quit consuming beverage alcohol and other psycho-active substances that affect the mood. Any less is A RELAPSE brother!

Many alcoholics have used other drugs, legally prescribed or not, that are addictive. DOT supervisor training has to spend a little bit of time on this reality. Addictive disease or chemical dependency are terms used to help the public understand the clinical nature of addiction. They are helpful in reducing stigma. But terms like "chemical dependency" are particularly popular among the psychiatric community, and especially in California where a heavy mental health model to explain addition still lingers like deadly cyanide gas for unwitting patients who are addicts seeking treatment there.

Addiction is a disease process and it is primary.  Patients are therefore taught to manage their disease in order to prevent relapse in the same way diabetics are taught to manage their illness.  Use of alcohol or drugs begins with experimentation or peer pressure for almost every drinker.  Physiologic susceptibility determines the progression of the disease. This heavily influenced by genetics, but other factors can influence severity and course of the disease.

Alcoholism declared a disease in 1957 by the American Medical Association.

Alcoholism declared a disease in 1956 by the World Health Organization.

Research demonstrates most people believe alcoholism (addiction) to be a disease, however, this belief does not contribute easily to self-diagnosis because of denial.  Most people attempt to define alcoholism by behaviors (how much one drinks, when, or what) rather than medical, objective symptoms. Changing this view is key to intervention and reducing stigma.

Some occupations are characterized by more frequent opportunities to use alcohol socially or without observation.  Higher rates of alcoholism may therefore be found among a workforce that are predominantly male, or in occupations such as traveling sales, etc. (NIAA Research) The opportunity to tax one’s susceptibility increases one’s risk and the speed of onset for the illness. Train your supervisors in drug and alcohol education for the DOT

Reasonable Suspicion Training Factoid: Alcohol Use Can Look Quite Normal

As a supervisor governed by the DOT reasonable suspicion training guidelines, you are naturally going to receive a lot of scrutiny if you ever decide not confront an employee who who may be under the influence for drugs or alcohol on the job.

This portion of the alcoholic progress curve will be insightful. Can you see how the alcohol use in the beginning of the addiction progression can be quite normal. This however is the typical pattern. Reasonable suspicion training with WorkExcel.com covers these normal looking symtpso and how to make them fool you.

What most DOT Supervisor Training Course Completely Overlook

Most dot supervisor training courses focus on signs, symptoms, effects, risk, and impact of substance abuse. Great--no problem with any of that. So, what's missing? The answer is myths and misconceptions about alcoholism. Wait! the U.S. Department of Transportation does not require that information at all, so why would it be important. Well, the answer is manipulation. Employee with substance abuse problems use a selection of defense mechanisms, like denial, to avoid their self-diagnosis. They know the symptoms of alcoholism or substance addiction that they do not have, and use this information to avoid anxiety caused by self-awareness. In other words, they are lying to themselves with awareness so they do need to take the next step and deal with the anxiety by getting treatment. That indeed is a tough assignment. But there are other defense mechanisms that help support the primary foundation defense mechanism of denial--and these are the ones employees will use against you as a supervisor. You can learn more about these defense mechanism if you click on the alcoholism button here, but also cover them all in the dot supervisor training course.

 

• V001 Drugs of Abuse Chart
• V002 Progression and Recovery Curve of the Alcoholic
• V003 Tracking Sheet for EAP: Follow-up of Recovering Clients
• V004 Addictive Disease in the Workplace Progression Curve
• V005 Enabling in the Workplace
• V006 Five Ways to Refer an Employee to the EAP
• V007 60 Signs and Symptoms Checklist
• V008 How to Write a Corrective Letter
• V009 Back-to-Work Conference Guidelines
• V010 Avoiding Armchair Diagnosis
• V011 25 Questions for the Person in a Relationship with an Addict
• V012 Ten Role Plays and EAP Referral Scenarios for Supervisors
• V013 Best EAP Referral Tips for Supervisors
• V014 Enabling: Definition, Impact, and Loss
• V015 After EAP Follow-up Tips for Supervisors