The Danish Ministry of Health estimates that the costs to society in connection with alcohol and drug addiction amount to approximately USD 2 billion annually. Not only is the problem of alcohol and drug addiction a huge financial burden to society, it is also in most cases associated with human tragedy in terms of loss of job and dignity. It became increasingly evident to us at Novo Nordisk that intervention is necessary in the workplace when employees develop addictions to alcohol or drugs. Experience has shown that intervention helps. Doing nothing definitely does not help.

Both as a company and as colleagues we aim to meet this challenge by offering qualified and dignified support for employees. In 1997 Novo Nordisk in Denmark established a local policy for alcohol and drug addiction. The aim of the policy is to provide support by offering people a means of evaluating their situation and by ensuring that they are offered the right treatment. Novo Nordisk's policy also aims to help colleagues and managers intervene appropriately when things start to go wrong for an employee.

Novo Nordisk in Denmark has a collaboration with an external psychologist specialised in the treatment of addiction. Some people are sent to this expert by the company, but the majority are receiving treatment unknown to anyone at Novo Nordisk. They contact the psychologist on their own initiative and enjoy complete anonymity. The treatment, which consists of counselling, can last anything from a month to over a year, depending on the individual.

Research shows that approximately 6% of the general population in Denmark has the propensity to develop addiction problems. Usually the rate of development is slow and it may take years to deteriorate into a serious problem. In any given year, approximately 0.5% of the population will reach this stage. When people finally realise they have a serious problem, treatment is most likely to be successful in halting the progress of the abuse.

Wanted: 50 people with a problem
It is therefore likely that 0.5% of Novo Nordisk's Danish employees (corresponding to 50 people) will experience an addiction problem and at the same time would benefit from help.

We have set a target of 50 new clients each year and it may seem strange to do this. However, we see the number of new clients as an indicator of whether our support system works or not.

With 53 clients in 1997 and 47 new clients in 1998, these figures show that we are matching the average in society. This could indicate that we have reached those who need help with their addiction. It is also worth noting that the number of employees enquiring on their own initiative increased from 43% in 1997 to 58% in 1998. These figures seem to indicate that the system is gaining trust among our employees.

A high recovery rate
66 employees were given counselling in 1998, and 22 of these will continue in 1999. Thus 44 persons completed counselling during 1998, of whom an estimated 37 (84%) have shown improvement.

This recovery rate is high when compared to recovery rates in society in general (an average of approximately 50%, depending on the type of treatment approach). Various factors could account for this difference, including:

An important issue here is how to define 'recovery' accurately. Experts debate whether, for instance, an alcoholic can ever be 'cured'. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to define a case of recovery as "a person with a good chance of lifelong abstinence". There are no simple answers here.

Benefits
Addiction is hard to control, and it becomes increasingly difficult to function at work, at home or in other social situations. Much distress can be relieved by seeking help.

Having an addict in the family or at work is of great concern to both relatives and colleagues. It can be difficult to know how to approach the problem without losing the trust and confidence of the addict. A support system takes some of the burden off the shoulders of family and colleagues as they know that the dependent person can get help.

We should also add that our motives are not only humanitarian. We rely on an effective and skilled workforce. In many cases, a drink or drug problem leads to a loss of performance and high rates of absence. In the worst case, when all other courses of action have been exhausted, the employee may have to be dismissed and this is traumatic for the employee as well as colleagues and family.

We wish to avoid dismissals. We want to retain valuable employees in whom the company has invested time and money. This also avoids the costs of hiring and training new employees. There are also savings if absence can be cut and performance can be improved. But the biggest benefit is, of course, to the individual who can become free of a self-destructive habit.