Critical Conversations: What We Know About Substance Misuse Among Social Workers

Overview: Although social workers represent the largest professional group of providers delivering services to those experiencing substance misuse, little is known about their own problems with alcohol and other drugs. This presentation reports mixed methods findings from the Social Workers’ Self-Reported Wellness study, a multistate survey of wellness and workplace experiences.Proposal text: The National Association of Social Workers (2021) identified concerns related to the profession, including impairment among providers. Social workers play a vital role in helping individuals experiencing substance use problems; however, few studies have examined the nature and extent of their substance misuse, how these problems influenced their decisions to enter the profession, and the impact on their work. This issue is a significant one, as alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems may negatively impact social workers’ work with clients (Pooler et al., 2008).

In response to these issues, the Social Workers’ Self-Reported Wellness (Authors, 2018) survey examined the health and workplace experiences of over 6,000 licensed social workers from 13 states. Nearly one in 10 respondents reported a history of alcohol problems and almost 6% reported a history of drug problems. While measures of AOD problems differ, it seems likely that the rates of AOD problems among social workers are equivalent to those found in the general population (SAMHSA, 2020).

Although only 2.4% of participants reported AOD problems at the current time, nearly 10% reported having had AOD problems before becoming social workers and 7.7% reported AOD problems during their social work career. Participants who were male, white, and bisexual/gay were most likely to report AOD problems. Compared to the general population and study respondents without AOD problems, participants with histories of substance misuse reported higher exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (Authors, 2021; Merrick et al., 2018).

Among social workers with AOD problems, 32% indicated these issues influenced their decision to become social workers and 29% reported that their substance misuse has affected their work. Qualitative data were collected to learn more about these experiences. Regarding AOD problems informing the decision to enter the profession, respondents indicated their own experience of AOD problems either motivated them to work within the addictions field or led them to believe they were likely to be more effective with this cohort than professional counterparts with no personal AOD experience. Respondents who stated that substance misuse has negatively impacted their work stated that AOD problems had negatively impacted their work performance identified factors such as tardiness, decreased mental alertness, attendance issues, poor relationships with clients and peers, and poor work-related decisions.

It is essential for schools of social work and organizations that employ social workers to promote awareness regarding AOD issues, including strategies for identifying and helping colleagues who may be experiencing these difficulties. Social workers with AOD problems have a right to a supportive workplace and can benefit from behavioral health treatment (Siebert, 2005). This presentation invites critical conversations regarding social work and AOD problems.