Going Back to Work After Rehab

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Going Back to Work After Rehab

If you are facing a drug or alcohol addiction and have decided to go to a rehabilitation center, you will need to know how to go back to work after rehab. Switching back to a normal life once you have defeated addiction can be an overwhelming experience if you don’t know how to approach it.

Feelings of guilt and shame are normal, but you can overcome them when you keep a few tips at the front of your mind. Rather than being afraid, be proud of yourself for making it past one of the most difficult challenges you will likely face. Completing your treatment and staying clean has allowed you to get a fresh start in life. The following guide will help you adjust to your career so that you can move forward without trouble.

Tips for Transitioning Back to Work

Spending several weeks in a treatment center gets you out of the habit of reporting to work each day, and working five or six days each week when you get out won’t always be easy. To reduce the discomfort, try going back to work in the middle of the week, and you will only need to work for a few days. Speaking with your manager and learning about any changes that have taken place while you were away will help you avoid surprises.

Getting a New Job

Instead of returning to an existing job after you have completed your treatment program,some people may be starting in a new job. The gap in your employment history can be hard to explain, but you need to tell your new company that you were facing medical issues. Only you can decide if you are willing to disclose that you were in a treatment center for several weeks.

The job to which you apply should allow you to do things you enjoy, but it should also offer room for advancement. If you opt to talk about your past addiction and road to recovery, frame it in a positive light. You knew when to ask for help, and you were willing to face a difficult challenge so that you could get your life under control. Those traits can benefit almost any workplace.

Handling Curious Co-Workers

When you report back to work after rehab, the people with whom you work will probably have a lot of questions. Some of them will care about you and want to know that you are in good shape. Others will only be curious about your absence, and you must decide in advance how you will respond.

Being open about your past can expose you to criticism from those who don’t understand addiction and how harmful it is. If you talk about the challenges you have faced, you could inspire others to seek treatment and to move forward. You can also tell people that you had to deal with personal issues and that they are now under control.

Managing Stress in Recovery

Most people deal with some level of stress while they are at work, but people recovering from addiction face an even greater risk. Stress can make it hard to stay on the path to recovery because turning to the substance to which you were once addicted might seem like the only option. You can reduce your odds of a relapse by using healthy methods to reduce and control your stress. Meditating for 10 or 15 minutes each day will provide you with impressive results, but starting a workout routine will also take you far when your mission is to control emotional discomfort.

Staying on the Right Path

Since going back to old habits could cause you to lose your job, finding a way to stay on track is an important piece of the puzzle. Keeping yourself away from people who encourage you to drink or use drugs is a good place from which to start.

If you are serious about remaining sober, find people facing a similar problem and offer to hold each other accountable. You can then speak with your support network when you have moments of weakness. Making a list of your short- and long-term goals will also keep you moving in the right direction. If you feel tempted to repeat old habits, consider how doing so will affect your future and the people who care about you.

Getting Help

If you want a team of recovery experts you can trust, you have come to the right place. We use SMART Recovery to get our clients started with the recovery process, and doing so provides them with the outcome they had in mind. We believe that recovery is a long-term process and that continued support will improve your odds of success.

Instead of only providing treatment, we also offer life coaching to those who want to enjoy the rewards of life in recovery. Picking up the phone and giving us a call is a critical step you don’t want to ignore. Contact St. Gregory Recovery Center today.

Our graduates tell their stories…

When first arriving at St. Gregory I had mixed feelings about the health and wellness workouts. I came in at 136 lbs and didn’t think it was possible to reach...
- Chris
The good life is not merely a life free from addictions, physical and/or psychological—addictions that usually are the outward manifestations of deeper problems—but a life lived in harmonious balance, free...
- Matt
I came to St. Gregory’s at my all-time worst—physically, emotionally, and mentally. Having gone through a bad rehab experience once before, I had been very reluctant in succumbing to that...
- CJ
No matter where I start my thought process when reflecting upon my time before, during and after St. Gregory’s, I always seem to end up in the same place in...
- Kaele

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