Employment Post Addiction Treatment

Recent treatment for addiction or alcoholism can suddenly complicate efforts to find new employment or retain existing employment. And while few people actually "like" to go to work, the fact of the matter is that for many humans, it is healthier to work each day than it is to do nothing. This is especially true for people who have recently completed a drug rehab program. Working is critical to the health of a long term recovery plan, and without it many addicts will quickly relapse out of boredom or depression. But though work is crucial for recovering addicts and alcoholics, it can pose risks of relapse as well. Therefore it is important to find the right employment that is buoyed by a strong recovery support network. One of the most significant issues for many businesses is reputation management. As a result, some companies may be quick to get rid of people with drug or alcohol problems so as to disassociate the business from the individual. Therefore, it is often the personal reputation of an addict that can make it difficult to return to the workforce after treatment for addiction. People do disturbing things and behave erratically while in the throes of active addiction and this can lead to long term personal reputation problems and complicate efforts to find work. However, this appears to be mainly a problem on the part of the employer, based on a study reported by Law Care: "A study in Oregon in the USA followed 55 alcoholic lawyers. In the five years prior to seeking help for their problem, these lawyers had 83 malpractice claims filed against them – an annual rate of 30%. In the five years following recovery this fell to 21 claims, or 8%. Interestingly, this was lower than for the general population of lawyers. The comparable malpractice rate in the state was 13.5%." This means that some people that have recently quit drinking or boozing may be more stable, dedicated and loyal than those employees in the general population. It's important that whatever employment a person in recovery pursues that it not pose a risk to their sobriety. For many this may mean no working in bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, etc. For others it may be jobs in a specific area of the city or town they live in that they associate with prior drug use, or current drugs use by others. As a result of these risks and in an effort to return the gift of recovery that was given to them, many addicts go to work in the field of addiction as a behavioral technician, a volunteer coordinator, or even as a clinician or therapist. This helps to strengthen the field of addiction treatment because the people who advance the field are, for the most part, personally experienced in these matters. When returning to the workforce after treatment for addiction or alcoholism, it's important to not overdo it. The following are some things to keep in mind; *Don't overdo it by working a ton of overtime *Make a clear distinction between work and home, and don't mix the two *Exercise, relax, and take days off and vacation time too. Rest and relaxation is vital. *Don't worry about what other people think If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction problem, working during recovery is essentially to long term sobriety.

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