Remote workers with substance use disorders face ‘rude awakening’ in return-to-office mandates

“Now I can use in ways that I never before imagined,” said one home worker. A Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta study confirmed that the number of working age Americans with substance use disorders rose 23% since pre-pandemic, to 27 million. Employers’ antennae are up, with random workplace drug testing rising 37% from 2021-2022, according to First Advantage.