NCJ Number
165288
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 31 Issue: 11 and 12 Dated: (1996) Pages: 1599-1617
Date Published
1996
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the cooperative effort of three international agencies in mounting the program entitled "Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Problems Among Workers and Their Families," which involves the transfer of an innovative model to a culturally diverse group of nations.
Abstract
The nations involved are Egypt, Mexico, Namibia, Poland, and Sri Lanka. The aim of the program model is to move from the prevalent reactive drug programs led by alcohol and drug experts to proactive employee drug prevention programs led by employers. The workplace is being used as the arena for the program because users of harmful or hazardous quantities of alcohol and drugs are disproportionately male and disproportionately in the age range of 20-45 years. Such persons are consistently overrepresented in the workplace in all cultures. The program uses nontechnical language and metaphors to secure the commitment of managers in the private and public sectors. Participating countries and enterprises adapt the program to local conditions, thus fostering "local ownership," with the objective of creating self-sustaining activities. The objective of the sponsoring agencies is to describe program elements that may be readily transferable worldwide across the cultural borders of nations, enterprises, and public-sector workplaces. Whether or not the formal adoption of the model program results in organizational change at the national and enterprise levels remains to be seen. It is encouraging that additional requests to implement the model program have been received from the governments or nongovernmental organizations in Brazil, Chile, and Jamaica. 2 tables and 36 references