Wellness Program Ideas – Fighting Addictions.

Tobacco use Cessation

Tobacco use cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Tobacco use is often a difficult habit to overcome. Employee wellness activities to support “smoke-free” living include -

o  Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There’s also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.

o  Reward individuals who’ve successfully quit tobacco use for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some kind of incentive gift.

o  Make available “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Excellent American Smokeout.

o  Begin a “quitting or thinking about it” support group to assist and encourage person attempting to stop tobacco use.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

When a substance abuse policy is not in place in your worksite, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Wellness Committee member be included in the policy development process.

If such a policy is already in place be sure Wellness Committee members are cognizant of the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind workforce of wellness resources and programs available.

o  Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a organization building and/or publicize community meetings.

o  Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and be sure food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.

o  Give easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the community. Put this information in an area where it could be viewed without embarrassment.

o  When conducting health promotion programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight control, nutrition, fitness, use of tobacco, and accident prevention.

o  Issues such as co-dependence and the difficulty of helping a substance abuser can also be addressed. Make available this information as part of the health promotion program by providing informational materials, brown bag sessions, EAP information, etc.

o  The Employee Assistance Program provider is an excellent resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or staff member assistance.

o  Other addictions, like problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., can be problematic and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Make available information, video review, or employee assistance sessions addressing these topics.

o  A Wellness Committee member may gain personal information regarding an worker problem. Don’t forget to keep all worker information totally confidential.