202: Breaking the Stigma Around Addiction and Recovery in the Workplace with Cheryl Brown-Merriwether

Addiction is not a new problem in the workplace. In fact, about 70% of folks that are using illicit drugs are employed in the workplace, either full-time or part-time. However, this is not a comfortable topic for people to talk about obviously due to the stigma around it.    How do we then bridge that gap and break the silence so people get the help they need, and for total recovery to take place?   On today's episode, Duane speaks with Cheryl Brown-Merriwether, HR professional and recovery support professional, about the innovations in the workplace as well as addiction and recovery from a workplace perspective and a human relations perspective.    Cheryl holds a number of certifications with several years of experience working with clinical professionals in addiction and recovery support services. Through educational programs, Cheryl is committed to helping people in the workplace understand addiction, substance use disorder, and recovery. Cheryl hopes to reduce the stigma and change the whole perspective around addiction and recovery in the workplace.    In this episode, you will hear: What’s changing in the workplace How to break the stigma of recovery The benefits of external partnership Working with people who struggled with addiction The importance of connecting at all three levels of the workplace How to extend the workforce and empower the frontliners About the International Center of Addiction and Recovery Education Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Supporting Resources: NovusMindfulLife.com Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices