ALTA. WORKERS LEAD NATION IN SEEKING HELP: STUDY

EDMONTON - Albertans are nearly twice as likely to seek help for
substance-abuse problems than other Canadians, says a national company
that provides workplace health services to employers.

And workers here asking for help with a myriad of problems are more
likely to be young men under the age of 30 or employees with less than
one year of service than in other parts of Canada, the Shepell-fgi
Research Group said this week.

The company, which offers employee assistance programs across Canada,
came across what it called the "unusual trend" in its national study
of the services used by nearly 150,000 workers at more than 1,000
companies between 2003 and 2006.

"A boom is as risky as a bust or any sort of major change because it
causes upheaval in our society," said Paula Allen, vice-president of
Health Solutions and the Shepell-fgi research group.

"What's interesting is how quickly they're reflected in our
statistics." The company found two per cent of the Albertans who used
their company's employee assistance programs reported problems with
alcohol versus 1.2 per cent nationally. Drug addiction problems also
were higher than the national average: 1.4 per cent vs. 0.9 per cent.

The results do not necessarily indicate that Albertans are abusing
drugs and alcohol more than other Canadians, but that they are turning
to their company's services more than in other regions.

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), also reported
an 11-per-cent increase in demand for its services, such as detox
programs and outpatient counselling, between 2005 and 2006.

Melissa Lovatt, a communication consultant with AADAC, said the agency
believes some of that increase is tied to the province's population
growth.

"We can't make the connection that more Albertans are struggling more
with addiction than other provinces," Lovatt said.

But Albertans certainly do consume more alcohol per capita than other
Canadians, she said.

Allen said that Shepell-fgi believes it is important to highlight
evidence of Alberta's higher addiction rates so that employers and
service providers pay attention to the issue.

"This is a way to create dialogue about what's happening in Alberta
right now, what employees are facing in terms of stress and strain,"
Allen said. "If you have a population of employees where they're
making a fair bit of money and young people without their family of
origin who haven't started a family themselves, then you have people
who are potentially at risk of isolation." If ignored, addictions can
affect the employee and their workplace in many ways, she said,
ranging from workplace accidents and conflict to long-term health
problems and sexually transmitted diseases.

Allen said the study's findings cover all sectors of Alberta's
economy, including health care, energy and hospitality.