Alcohol and drug abuse have serious physical, psychological, and social consequences, and employees who abuse alcohol and/or drugs ultimately reduce their companies' profits. Employee substance abuse leads to reduced productivity as well as to increased absenteeism, health care and health insurance costs, and liability claims against employers of persons who abuse substances. Programs to prevent substance abuse can take one of three forms. Primary prevention programs focus on changes in the environment or anticipatory education to obviate problems that are as yet undiscernible (for example, programs on the hazards of drinking and driving or policies requiring warning labels on liquor bottles). Secondary prevention involves efforts to identify and change established health risks before these risks have done irreversible harm (for example, mandatory educational programs for drivers arrested while intoxicated). Tertiary prevention programs occur at a late stage and are palliative in orientation (that is, they are a form of treatment that is geared toward preventing further harm). Possible types of primary and secondary prevention efforts can include educational and awareness activities, company policies to prevent alcohol and drug abuse (such as drug screening and drug searches), and early problem identification and referral. (Eight examples of companies that have developed successful drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs are included in this document.) (MN)