BY DEBBIE PAGE
During the October Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell meeting, Susan Willis of Partners Health Management presented information about the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiatives. North Carolina is one of 31 states that have this program, which is funded through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant.
Around 65 employers in North Carolina have been officially designated as Recovery Friendly Workplace, according to Willis.
A Recovery Friendly Workplace supports the health, wellness, and safety of employees by educating them about substance use and addiction, creates a friendly environment for the recovery journey, and works to reduce the stigma often associated with the disease of addiction and substance use.
Willis, who serves Iredell, Catawba, Gaston, Lincoln, and Rutherford counties, noted that all businesses hire people in recovery, though employers may not realize it. One in 12 workers has a substance use disorder (SUD), and one in two workers is affected by SUD personally or through a loved one or friend.
In 2024, an estimated 29.3 million people ages 12 and older had a substance use disorder in the past year. Three in four people who use substances are employed, so recovery friendly workplaces and policies are sorely needed. An estimated 10 million people with addiction have full-time jobs, so encouraging recovery in the workplace matters.
Recovery friendly workplaces make sense because employment is a part of recovery and gives the worker accountability through their work responsibilities and the possibility of drug testing.
Substance use disorder is expensive for American businesses because of lost output and loss of employee work time. According to Willis, the estimated economic annual economic impact of substance use in the United States is $442 billion.
Recovery friendly workplaces are more cost-effective, with employers seeing measurable returns. For every dollar invested in recovery support, research shows that businesses save $4 in absenteeism and employee turnover.
Employers who adopt recovery friendly policies also report a 23 percent increase in employee engagement and have happier, healthier employees.
Employees at recovery friendly workplaces have more employee buy-in and loyalty, so employers see greater return on investment. Employees in recovery also miss 12 percent fewer days of work and have a 10 percent lower turnover rate on average compared to all employees.
Willis encouraged employers to change the culture of their workplaces by removing the stigma associated with SUD and instead support employees in their recovery efforts. Willis’s program provides free peer support and technical assistance (policies, procedures) for two years and connects employers with the resources their employees may need.
To learn more about becoming a recovery friendly workplace, visit https://recoveryfriendlync.com/, contact Willis at swillis@partnersbhm.org, or call her at 980-421-4900.
Other US Department of Labor resources are available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/RRW-hub/Recovery-ready-workplace.
SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION IS IMPORTANT
As part of October’s Substance Use Prevention Month, DACI Executive Director Kristin Blumenstein shared some statistics with the coalition. She said studies show that very dollar spent on prevention can save $2 to $20 later on treatment, healthcare, and criminal justice costs.
Prevention also focuses on targeting risk factors that promote SUD and increasing protective factors to prevent people from lapsing into substance use disorder. Targeted prevention interventions can also stop the cycle of SUD in families.
Evidence-based prevention programs that focus on early childhood do more than decrease drug use. They also reduce mental health problems and crime as well as promote academic motivation and achievement.
IN THE KNOW EVENT PLANNING
Planning for DACI’s In The Know event on March 10, 2026, at the Statesville Civic Center is continuing. Blumenstein said organizers are seeking speakers on several topics, including building resiliency and increasing protective factors, negative thinking patterns that contribute to addictive behaviors, the intersection of mental health and substance sheaths, and the legal substances found in the local retail environment that pose a threat to youth.
Blumenstein is also seeking volunteers willing to do environmental scans at their neighborhood stores to report the concerning unregulated substances (THC products, Kava, Kratom, tianeptine, Delta 8, etc.) that can be abused and are being sold in Iredell County.
Organizers are also looking for civic clubs, churches, and other organizations where DACI can conduct a short presentation about the In The Know event.