How Can a Professionals-Focused Addiction Treatment Program Help You?
Professionals face a difficult situation if they have a substance abuse problem. You may know you need help with your addiction, but you’re afraid of admitting that because it could cost you your job. Professionals, especially those who hold licenses to perform their jobs, need to take steps to protect themselves and their clients from the problems addiction causes. Where do you start, and what can you do right now?
Recognize the Impact Addiction Has on the Workplace
A study published in the National Institutes of Health found that 75 percent of adults who have an untreated substance abuse disorder are active in the workforce. It found a single employee with an addiction can cost a company thousands of dollars in loss, based on the industry. For example, in professional positions, such as management and administration, addiction can cost $4,322 per year in lost productivity.
Those who have an alcohol or drug abuse problem miss more days of work. They are also more likely to suffer an on-the-job injury. They are also the most likely to be fired or laid off, resulting in higher turnover. The cost of insuring individuals with substance abuse also taxes employers. Clear liability risks exist for the individual with addiction and for their coworkers, clients, or customers. These are clear reasons why companies simply cannot maintain employment for
professionals with substance abuse.
Taking the First Step to Get Help
No matter the type of addiction, recognizing the problem is an essential first step. Addiction can happen to professionals, whether they work in finance, healthcare, or the legal system, for many work-related reasons. An injury can cause an addiction to pain medications. The stress and long hours of your job may have pushed you to use stimulants to help you get through the long shifts.
For others, alcohol can provide a numbing relief after a stressful day.
If you find yourself in these situations, take the first step and enroll in a drug and alcohol addiction program for professionals, like the one we offer at Victory Addiction Recovery Center in Lafayette, LA. This program is designed to provide you with specific care to help you detox and work through treatment to ensure you meet all requirements for going back to work.
Both residential treatment and intensive outpatient treatment programs are available through Victory’s Professionals Program, depending on your unique needs. We provide you with help to not only stop using but to learn tools to cope with the stresses you face at work.
Will You Lose Your Job or License if You Seek Help?
Men and women with professional licenses are at a higher risk for avoiding drug and alcohol treatment programs because they worry about losing those licenses. In a study published by the National Institutes of Health and Missouri State Medical Association, it was found that many doctors refuse to seek care for mental health conditions because of their worry of losing their practicing license. Medical boards, which provide those licenses, have a strong need to protect their patients and may make decisions about a person’s ability to practice based on both mental health and substance abuse risks.
What should you do, then?
It is true that some licensing organizations and boards have the legal right to terminate the employment of those who are unable to fulfill the tasks of their job due to substance abuse disorders. However, you are more likely to lose your job if you continue to use and work. If you believe that your manager or others who oversee the work you do don’t recognize that you have a problem, you’re likely mistaken. Most of the time, the people you work with know what’s happening. It’s only a matter of time before the licensing board learns of this, no matter how loyal you think your coworkers are or how much you believe you can control it.
The better decision, then, is to seek out help right away. The Family Medical Leave Act may provide you with some of the protection you need if you are an employee. This act helps to freeze your employment and benefits so that you can seek help for your addiction. You cannot lose your position during the time you are seeking active care for up to 12 weeks.
Even if you are unsure if this is the right decision to you, there’s no harm in speaking to our addiction treatment providers about your situation. All conversations and appointments with our team are confidential. Let us help you prove to the licensing organization that you are getting the help you need to move past your addiction.
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