How To Overcome An Addiction Without Losing Your Career

Culturally, there is an unfortunate stereotype that addiction and employment are mutually exclusive. However, this is a misconception, and this type of belief helps perpetuate the stigma around drug and alcohol addictions and the ways that substance use disorders can manifest. Whilst some individuals in addiction treatment are unemployed, this is not the case for all.

Accessing drug and alcohol help can be daunting. The idea of drug rehab itself can be intimidating. With the added layer of career and employment concerns, accessing intervention can feel overwhelming. How can you attend work as well as a rehabilitation centre? How do you speak to management about your situation, and how is it possible to maintain your productivity and your mental health whilst also dealing with addiction?

 

Addiction and career: How are they linked?

A review presented to the UK government highlighted how ‘alcohol misuse may […] be a cause or a consequence of unemployment.’ It concluded that heavy drinking ‘ is certainly a predictor both of unemployment or of future job loss.’ This indicates that whilst addiction can cause tension at work, workplace stress can equally lead to addiction. The connection between addiction and career is unidirectional.

Historically, career-related concerns in the addiction industry have been associated with ‘high-functioning’ addictions such as high-functioning alcoholism and drug addiction. Individuals with a high-functioning addiction are typically able to ‘mask’ their symptoms. This can mean that their difficulties can go unnoticed for longer, as they may not present as explicitly as ‘addicts.’ Research into high functioning addiction identified that these types of individuals are more likely to be:

• Middle-aged
• Well-educated
• With stable jobs
• With stable families

Around a third of ‘functioning’ alcoholics have a history of alcoholism in the family. Around a quarter deal with depression, and half are smokers.

While some individuals in drug and alcohol addiction treatment may find themselves out of work or experiencing difficulties at home, for many ‘high functioning’ individuals, these signs are not present. This means that it can be difficult to detect the need for support and can often prolong the amount of time it takes to access drug intervention.

Being able to mask symptoms may seem desirable for some. But there are dangers associated with an addiction going under the radar. For example, you may find:

• you do not feel you are able to talk about your situation
• you are stuck managing your responsibilities at work alongside your personal stress
• you are not able to delegate tasks at work or share workload
• you begin to overwork as a distraction, or to maintain appearances
• your stress begins to increase

All of these experiences can deepen depression and increase anxiety. If these cycles are not broken, this can then lead to the addiction becoming more powerful.

Signs of addiction in the workplace

But if many individuals dealing with an addiction at work go unnoticed, then what signs should we be looking out for? It’s important to note that an addiction is a very personal experience. There is no specific way it manifests. But some general signs to look out for in the workplace include:

• becoming quiet and withdrawing
• avoiding social areas
• spending breaks alone
• not engaging in social activities outside of work
• taking more smoke breaks or drinking more caffeinated beverages than usual
• appearing on edge or agitated
• becoming confrontational or reactive
• not responding well to criticism
• working at a reduced pace
• working for longer hours
• missing deadlines
• reduced productivity and focus
• conflict with colleagues or management
• absences
• accidents at work
• appearing restless or anxious

If you recognise any of these signs in yourself, then it may be time to assess how to address your situation and input some positive strategies to allow you to continue to maintain your occupational responsibilities whilst still taking care of yourself.

Accepting addiction

One of the hardest parts of any journey towards recovery is accepting the need for drug or alcohol addiction help. This is often because in order to access the support we need, we first need to accept the presence of addiction. And for many people, this means overcoming denial. This can be tricky, as this denial can be deeply ingrained. If ‘addiction denial is usually considered […] as an unconscious defence mechanism,’ this means that we can deny the fact that we have an addiction in order to protect ourselves. But it also suggests that we don’t choose this process – we do it automatically.

We might be in a place of denial for many reasons. One of the common ones is due to our own misunderstandings about what addiction is. Unfortunately, many people picture ‘addiction’ in a stigmatised way. When this is the case, it can be hard to recognise the presence of addiction within ourselves. But once we understand that addiction is a chronic disorder that does not discriminate, we can begin to understand that it can happen to anyone. Once we challenge the ‘that can’t happen to me’ kind of thinking, it can become easier to accept that an addiction is present in our lives.

Getting help: Addiction rehab & support options

One of the key steps in maintaining wellbeing during recovery is to access appropriate support. This can come in different forms, such as:

• addiction rehab treatment
• self-help groups
• support from your GP
• support from specialist charities
• support from family and friends

In order to access these forms of support whilst in employment, it can be helpful to investigate the types of flexible treatment options available to you. For example, you may be interested in outpatient alcohol rehab or an at-home drug detox. You can also speak to your addiction services team about their confidentiality policy in order to increase your confidence in reaching out for help.

Managing during recovery

Once you are in active recovery, you may come across some difficult periods. This is where implementing particular strategies at work can help you stay on the right path and protect your wellbeing when you need it most. This could look like:

• practising self-care
• not working over your contracted hours
• delegating where possible
• setting positive boundaries at work
• setting small, clear goals to allow you to feel a sense of accomplishment
• regulating your caffeine intake
• focusing on nutrition and exercise
• using mindfulness techniques

Another key thing to remember during recovery is that addiction treatment is not only good for your health; it can also bolster your career stability. A report from the UK government found that after 6 months in treatment, attendance to work increased across treatment groups.

How to talk about addiction at work

In order to fully feel supported at work, we sometimes need to have difficult conversations. If you feel that you need to speak to your colleagues, employer or HR team, you may find it helpful to:

• use positive body language and tone
• stay calm and do not become reactive
• highlight how you are actively seeking support
• politely request accommodations where needed
• reiterate your commitment to your role
• be open to suggestions
• be solution based: when highlighting a problem at work, offer an alternative (for example, if
• changing working patterns may be required, suggest what that may look like)

 

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