Arizona opioid abuse toolkit providing support to hospitality, construction industries

PHOENIX - Long hours, physical labor and high stress are just some of the reasons why hospitality and construction are two industries hit hard by alcohol and opioid use.

Local perspective:

This reality is something David Perez knows firsthand from his time working in construction.

"You’d drink after work with the guys and it was kind of an unspoken rule even if you were hungover, you’re using on the job, as long as as you get the job done that’s all that mattered," Perez said. "And it became just a lifestyle."

Perez said it took him losing everything to get his life back on track.

"For me to get out I had to hit rock bottom," Perez said. "46 I lost my job, I lost my vehicle, I lost my phone, so I couldn’t call anybody, I couldn’t drive to work. I was losing the place, I was staying on somebody’s couch."

Why you should care:

His personal experience ultimately led him to get involved with Valley Leadership's opioid use disorder business toolkit, a program designed to help businesses support employees who are suffering from abuse.

"I used to be that employee in the bathroom getting high and pretending nothing is wrong and I know exactly what it feels like to work in these companies, have a problem and be afraid to tell anybody and what issues it can cause down the road," Perez said. "As soon as I heard it I had to be a part of it."

The toolkit program has been around for five years, but it recently received a grant from Maricopa County to provide these resources free of charge to local businesses.

What they're saying:

According to Katie Kucharski of Valley Leadership, the toolkit is designed to be highly accessible.

"Those are the two industries where we find opioid use disorder is greatest," Kucharski said. "But it does affect everyone in every type of business so our toolkit is for everyone."

Dig deeper:

Ling and Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill and Ling’s Wok Shop in Scottsdale are just two restaurants currently adopting the toolkit to spark a positive culture change within their establishments.

John Banquil Jr., the owner of Ling and Louie's Asian Bar and Grill, explained that communication is central to the decision.

"That was really kind of the heart of it," Banquil said. "How do we make it easier for our team to talk about these issues out in the open so we can help get them the support that they need?"

Banquil added that his team is fully on board with the new policy.

"I thought it was a great opportunity to further our impact in the community and be a leader in hospitality industry so we could be the first to implement it and hopefully set the example for other restaurants and bars in the industry," Banquil said.