For a few moments, pretend you are the CEO of a company, and the following people work for you:
Dan is an alcoholic but doesn’t know it. He drinks every night after work, at social events, and to relax. He doesn’t think his drinking affects his high-powered job as V.P. of Sales. But, it does.
Ellen suffers from depression. She drags herself out of bed most mornings, but has been calling in sick more often lately. She doesn’t want to lose her job as Operations Manager, but it’s getting harder every month to keep it all together.
Bart worries his son’s dependence on pills will turn to heroin. It started when the Vicodin he was prescribed for his football injury led to opiod dependence. Bart doesn’t know what to do, and he and his wife try to keep it quiet. He often finds it hard to focus on his job as an accountant.
They are struggling, and they don’t have a Business Addiction Prevention Program to turn to.
Why a New Type of Program is Needed
If your company has 100 employees, there are likely 8 or 9 Dans, almost as many Ellens, and several Barts among them. And others with sexual compulsions, gambling issues, over-eating problems, or anxiety. And more struggling with a longer list of compulsive behavior issues.
The vast majority of people like Dan, Ellen, and Bart don’t get help for their problem. They are naïve about the depth of the issue, or in denial, or they just don’t know what to do. In addition, they are embarrassed—ashamed—about their problem, and they don’t want to talk to anyone about it.
They need a Business Addiction Prevention Program, but they don’t have access to one.
If your company has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), these three people likely won’t use it, because less than 5% of employees do so each year. Even if they do use it, talking to someone on the phone goes only so far. And EAP programs can’t utilize the most powerful methods to deal with addiction, those which also include a spiritual component.
Most employees like these three are hesitant to visit a psychiatrist or therapist and scared to go to a recovery meeting where somebody might actually see them. And no one is reaching out to them, because people don’t realize how bad their problem is, or they don’t know what to do about it.
Your company is full of people who have issues just like Dan, Ellen, and Bart. And the vast majority of them are not getting the help they desperately need.
Developing a Business Addiction Prevention Program
Lately, you have come to realize there are also many other employees in earlier stages of addiction, and you want to do whatever you can to help prevent their problems from getter worse.
Because you care for these people! They are part of your company, and you feel a responsibility for their well-being. And, because you are a spiritual person, you feel a calling to help them.
There are wellness programs that may be part of the solution. But they deal with issues after someone has crashed and don’t address many of the spiritual or personal aspects of the problem.
What if there was a wholeness program that could deal with all aspects of addiction in a holistic manner? And could help people before they crash, preventing the tragedy looming in their future?
With one decision, you could positively impact every employee in your company and (literally) save the lives or careers of some. By bringing in a Business Addiction Prevention Program with:
- Leadership training and planning to tailor the program to best fit the needs of your company.
- Communications to all employees to know they are not alone and there are ways to get help.
- In-person training for managers and employees to recognize and deal with addiction.
- A variety of online material to go deeper, anonymously, on issues relevant to their situation.
- Anonymous, one-on-one coaching from someone who understands where they are and who can help them learn how to take steps to get better
If you were that CEO, would you be willing to bring such a wholeness program to your company?
Because, if you are, contact me.
Question: Do you know a company where a Business Addiction Prevention Program could help?
Action: If you are interested in learning more about the development of a new Business Addiction Prevention Program, send me an email at stevecward@lifeimprovementsteps.com.
Photo by Bank of England 
Photo by MDGovpics Photo by Paul Stevenson
