Addiction & Recovery: Real Talk on Talking About Your Recovery on the Job

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If you or a loved one is struggling with alcoholism or drug addiction, we are here to help. Reach out to Mountainside by calling 888 833 4676.

Transcript

I think it’s important to be honest in recovery. You need to be honest about what your recovery needs are, and at the same time to understand what your professional responsibilities are. And I’m not advocating that people not disclose that they’re in recovery at work, but you need to be very careful about what your motivation is, what you’re looking for. Are you asking for more support? Are you asking for a longer lunch break so you can go to a meeting? Are you asking to leave work a little early to go to a meeting? I think that when you put the information on someone else that you’re in recovery, then the other person is going to want to know why, so it’s very important to be clear about that.

I don’t advocate in general that people disclose that they are in recovery at work if they don’t need to because as we know there’s this stigma associated with addiction and people who aren’t in recovery sometimes have a hard time looking beyond that statement. And what they want, first and foremost, is a reliable employee and might judge an employee to be unreliable if they know that they are in recovery or have a vulnerability that could affect their job performance.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, Mountainside can help.
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