What the Oil Sex-Drugs Scandal Teaches About Addiction

Sex and substance abuse were part of the job for a special government department's offices in Denver and Washington, D.C., according to reports.

The allegedly wayward workers were all part of the U.S. Interior Department's Mineral Management Service, which handles a reported $10 billion a year worth of royalty payments paid by oil companies drilling on government land.

The scandal-ridden reports, delivered to Congress on September 10, detail "a culture of ethical failure," which included department workers accepting inappropriate gifts (like ski trips) from clients, as well as alcohol abuse at industry events, cocaine use and sexual misconduct with clients, too.

The oil companies named in the report include Chevron (Stock Quote: CVX), Shell Oil (STOCK QUOTE: RDS) and Hess Corp (STOCK QUOTE: HES). The MMS says they are taking the report "seriously" and will consider taking action. (Congress, meanwhile, has more fuel for its offshore oil debate.)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE HAPPENS IN LOTS OF OFFICES
The wild office culture of the MMS may be an extreme example, but substance abuse is a real issue for many U.S. workers. If the pressure of balancing work and your relationship with alcohol or other substances is getting to you, or one of your colleagues, you are not alone.
More than 17 million people over the age of 18 abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent, according to a recent study by the National Institute of Health. That’s 8.46 percent of the population, and a significant portion of the workforce.

But should you tell your boss if you are an alcoholic?
That depends, says Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success, who blogs at Brazen Careerist who overall advises to keep such information private unless you are directly asked in a way that somehow pertains to work. “If it comes up, I don’t think you have to hide it,” she says.