Raise the Bottom---Workplace Alcoholism

One question for Docs to Screen for Alcoholism

2009-08-10T22:16:00.000-04:00

Researchers said asking one simple question may be enough for primary care providers to accurately screen patients for alcohol abuse. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism composed the question: "How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?" where X was five for men and four for women. The question was 81.8% sensitive and 79.3% specific for detection of unhealthy alcohol use. Medscape (free registration) (08/06)

Several Excellent Articles on Alcoholism

2009-05-05T07:48:00.002-04:00

The New York Times has an article with excellent links on new thinking on Alcoholism. Dr. Mark L. Willenbring, director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University School of Medicine, has an interesting interview at: http://health.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-alcoholism-expert.html

Sara Benton, in her new book, "Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic" address many of the same issues at "Raise the Bottom". See the article here.

Working Alcoholics Cause Headaches for Companies

2009-04-01T09:21:00.002-04:00

From CNBC.com
Alcohol Awareness Month Brings Sobering Reality of Workplace Alcoholism

ATLANTA, March 31, 2009 -- April is Alcohol Awareness Month and one way companies are getting involved is with public awareness campaigns about workplace alcoholism. The cost of alcoholism and other drug addictions in the U.S. workforce exceeds $100 billion a year, according to the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). Part of Alcohol Awareness Month is educating companies in identifying the signs of an alcoholic and help problem drinkers.

"Most people wrongly assume that if an alcoholic employee does not drink at work there is no harm to the company since the abuse takes place on his/her own time.

But damage does occur because alcoholics have reduced mental function, distorted perception, poor judgment and performance, even during work hours when they are not drinking," explains Arthur Jackson, author of "Raise the Bottom: How to Keep Secret Alcoholics from Damaging Your Business." "A job masks the problem since a common myth is that the typical alcoholic is unemployed. Yet studies show over 85 percent of active alcoholics are functional and employed. Alcoholism in the workplace is hidden in plain sight, virtually affecting every business. Because of the stigma of alcoholism, people prefer to see the cause of problems as competition, cash flow, bad management, weak economy -- anything but alcoholism," Jackson says.

Read More

First Business Book addressing Alcoholism

2009-01-26T13:29:00.001-05:00

In the midst of an economic crisis, many businesses are fighting to survive. With all of the variables that can affect business, successful business leaders must be armed for battle. In 'Raise The Bottom' Arthur Jackson reveals an issue that has been disregarded for too many years: alcoholism and how it affects the workplace.

Marietta, Georgia (PRWEB) January 25, 2009 -- "Arthur Jackson has crafted a readable, accessible primer on the symptoms of alcoholism and how to spot them. The information he provides could save you many headaches and heartaches in your business and personal relationships." -- Best-selling author and President of Elliot Wave International, Robert Prechter, Jr.

A common and yet overlooked business issue is brought to the forefront in Arthur M. Jackson's book 'Raise The Bottom': How to Keep Secret Alcoholics from Damaging Your Business. With an uncertain economy, business leaders need to understand how the rampant and rarely discussed disease of alcoholism not only affects the individual suffering, but also the business for which the alcoholic works. 'Raise The Bottom,' the first business book that tackles alcoholism in the workplace, provides tips on how to recognize closet alcoholics and prevent them from damaging a business.

Read the rest here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1910444.htm

Is Alcoholism a Disease?

2009-01-15T10:23:00.003-05:00

Alcoholism as a disease gives a framework for treating the condition. Why is alcoholism considered a disease? There are several criteria:

1. alcoholism progresses on a predictable course--progressively worse
2. it has recognized symptoms
3. alcoholism is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors
4. has been accepted by medical and psychiatric communities as a disease
5. it is a primary, chronic, and often fatal condition

If alcoholism is a "mental condition", then alcohol abusers who resolve the causing condition should be able to drink normally again. This is rare, if ever, the case. Alcoholics process alcohol differently than non-alcoholics. Dealing with mental conditions does not allow a true alcoholic to return to drinking safely.

Introduction from Raise the Bottom: How to Keep Secret Alcoholics from Damaging Your Business

2008-11-10T12:47:00.004-05:00

Alcoholism is rampant, but due to its stigma, it is rarely discussed directly as a business issue. Raise the Bottom explains the real danger of alcoholism -- the significant impact of alcoholic thinking and behavior, whether a person is under the influence or not.

Raise the Bottom is a business book, not a recovery book. It covers Step Zero, the real beginning of any program of recovery.

Through two main characters, Jason Burke, a recent MBA graduate from a well-known eastern business school, and Aaron Middleton, a veteran, highly accomplished business consultant, you will learn to see and think differently about many common business problems. In Raise the Bottom Jason’s knowledge of alcoholism evolves and matures beyond the range of his preconceptions and cynicism, typical of the general public, to the point that he is able to connect the dots between the disease, the behavior, and the bottom line - and to propose effective steps to a solution.

In Part One, Aaron and Jason discuss the problems created by alcoholism in the work environment, covering biological factors, definitions of alcoholism, and stages in the progress of the disease. In Part Two, Aaron teaches Jason how to identify alcoholism − often long before the alcoholic himself is aware he has a problem. Part Three closes with concrete responses to the problem, including disenabling the alcoholic, and the other steps necessary to protect yourself and your workplace from the damage an alcoholic employee can cause.

My twenty plus years experience in business and marketing consulting has provided me with wide exposure to many diverse business situations. As a recovering alcoholic, I can see in retrospect that many of the problems I tackled were actually the result of alcoholic thinking and behavior. However, all the stories and characters are fictional. Any similarity to real places or people is purely coincidental.

The premise of Raise the Bottom, like that of most treatment programs, is that an alcoholic must hit bottom before they can change. As one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous pointed out, we can effectively raise that bottom and intervene in the progress of the disease, reducing the harm done to the alcoholic and to a business. This is the goal of Raise the Bottom.

I hope that this book will demystify alcoholism and help business people guide those suffering from the disease get help. Should you see yourself in this book and wonder whether you are an alcoholic, take advantage of the insight and take corrective actions now. It will save you and others great distress later.