Excerpt: Chemical dependency is an illness that casts a shadow over everything it comes near. Chemical dependency can affect the quality and safety of your work environment, and seriously jeopardize the health of the user. Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the workplace. It can lead to poor judgment and coordination, drowsiness, and mood swings, liver damage, and heart disease. Marijuana is addictive although many people believe it is not. The drug is much stronger than it was several years ago. Marijuana can cause impaired short-term memory, slowed reaction time, lung disease, and infertility. Prescription drugs are used to reduce stress, and they really aren’t safe unless you use them according to the prescription. If abused they can lead to sluggishness or hyperactivity, impaired reflexes, addiction, and brain damage. Cocaine and crack are highly addictive. They speed up performance but the affect is short-lived. Some of the risks include short attention spam, irritability and depression, seizure, and heart attack. Doing coke is like driving your car in the fast lane, in first gear. Back in 1982, 83 there was a big resurgence in cocaine.