3 Tips for Returning To Work After Going To Rehab

One of the biggest concerns of people who choose to go to rehab in order to get help with their addiction is how this decision will affect their professional life. If you have a great career before you seek treatment, you may be wondering if that same career will be there for you once you get out of treatment. For many people, they can take a leave of absence from work and return to their same job after treatment. However, this brings up issues of its own when it comes to assimilating back into your work environment. So to help you manage this transition and retain your sobriety, here are three tips for returning to work after going to rehab.

Decide How To Deal With Your Co-Workers

If you’re starting a new job after leaving rehab, you won’t be faced with anyone asking you about your leave of absence from work. But if you’re going back to the same job you had before rehab, you’ll likely be faced with curious co-workers who’ll wonder where you were and what you were doing. To address this, DrugRehab.us recommends deciding beforehand what you’ll say to your co-workers. While you can tell them the truth about your absence, you don’t have to give them any details about why you were gone. Choose whatever you will feel most comfortable with and what will make returning to work easiest on you.

Managing Your Stress Levels

Work is inherently a stressful place. And when you’re working toward sobriety, having stress in your life can cause you to revert to your old ways. For this reason, it’s important for you to find ways to manage any stress you’ll feel at work. To do this, DrugRehab.com suggests trying to avoid stressful situations if you can, taking time to relax for a few minutes during the work day, and starting healthy habits like exercise and eating right. All of these things will help you to better manage the stress brought on by work in a healthy and productive way.

Be Wary Of Making Big Professional Changes Too Soon

When many people return to their previous lives after rehab, they find that things now aren’t necessarily how they would like things to continue to be moving forward into the future. This can cause many people to question their professional choices and seek to make some big changes in their life. However, Marc Kantor, a contributor to PsychCentral.com, recommends being wary of making any big changes with regards to your career too soon after you get out of rehab. If you have concerns, speak to your sponsor or a trusted friend and get their advice on the situation. Consider waiting it out for about a year to see if your ideas change and you can create the life you want in the situation in which you already find yourself.

If you’re worried about returning to work after completing addiction recovery treatment, use the tips mentioned above to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.

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