How to Protect Your Professional Reputation When You Enter Drug Rehab
By Meghan Vivo
Addicts are famous for the excuses they come up with to avoid getting treatment. One of the most common is, “I can’t enter rehab - I have a reputation to protect!”
True, there is always a chance that going into drug rehab may affect your professional reputation. But chances are, whether you realize it or not, your reputation has already been tarnished by your drug or alcohol problem. Even the most high-functioning addicts struggle to hide their addiction from their employer. Poor performance, absences from work and missed assignments are just a few signs of a problem.
Getting treatment for your addiction may be the only way to save your career - and your life. Any concerns you have about your career can be minimized by taking a few protective measures. Tib Albach, the Midwest regional coordinator of the acclaimed network of addiction treatment centers, Sober Living by the Sea, offers the following recommendations:
Early Intervention and Education
“The earlier someone struggling with addiction gets into treatment, the better their chances of preserving their career and their reputation,” says Albach.
The unfortunate fact is that many employers and co-workers still don’t understand that addiction is a disease similar to cancer or heart disease. As a result, there may be a stigma attached to entering drug rehab or assumptions made about the character or moral fiber of someone struggling with addiction.
What’s worse, says Albach, is that most doctors don’t recognize the symptoms of addiction and recommend appropriate treatment for chemical dependency, despite the fact that addiction is the most pervasive health care problem in the U.S. and the number-three killer next to heart disease and cancer.
The legal system doesn’t help addicts recognize a problem and get into rehab, either. The law in most states allows people to rack up two convictions for drinking and driving (driving while intoxicated, or DWI) before charging the individual with a felony.
“Having multiple DWIs is almost always a sign of a problem,” advises Albach. “A social drinker may get one DWI but the humiliation prevents them from doing it again, whereas an alcoholic goes right back to drinking and driving when the legal heat is off their back. Not only are they putting their own life in jeopardy, but hundreds of others as well.”
Early intervention is key, both for addicts and society as a whole. By entering treatment at age 25 rather than 30 years later, an addict has a better chance of achieving long-term sobriety and maintaining their professional reputation, and society saves millions of dollars in medical costs, legal fees and other expenses.
Find an Addiction Treatment Program Outside Your Home Community
Every person battling addiction has to do so on their own terms. While some may be able to recover at a substance abuse treatment facility down the street from their home, many will fare better both personally and professionally by entering a program outside their home community.
By entering a drug rehab away from home, you’re less likely to be in treatment with people you know and to have neighbors, co-workers or acquaintances monitoring your whereabouts. You’re also less likely to drop out of treatment.
“It’s not uncommon for addicts to be tempted to leave treatment against medical advice at some point,” explains Albach. “If their friends or loved ones live nearby, the addict may succeed in tugging at their heartstrings and convincing them to ‘rescue’ them from rehab. If the family has to get on a plane and fly 2,000 miles, they are more likely to encourage the addict to stay in treatment.”
If you find a substance abuse program in an area of the country that appeals to you, you may also be more likely to stay in treatment. This is one of the many reasons Sober Living by the Sea has been so successful in helping men and women recover from addiction. The Landing, one of Sober Living’s addiction programs for men, is located right on the sand in Newport Beach, Calif.
“There is something about the beach environment that lends itself to a little more willingness to be grateful for the gift of recovery that we’ve been given,” says Albach. “Our clients see that there is a whole world out there that is in recovery and living life to the fullest. Once their eyes are open to the possibilities, they can find a similar support system in their home town.”
Embrace the 12 Steps
Research shows that 12-Step involvement is a major factor in achieving long-term sobriety. “Addiction treatment is prep school for AA,” counsels Albach. “The 12 Steps teach recovering addicts coping skills that will apply for rest of their lives.”
At The Landing, clients participate in community AA meetings so that they feel at ease with the process when they return home. They also learn how the 12-Step principles apply to their lives and get comfortable seeking support from others when they experience drug cravings or triggers to use.
Participate in an Aftercare Program
The ultimate goal of drug rehab is to return the addict to their daily life, firmly grounded in recovery and ready to take on the responsibilities of school, work or family. Some may return to their old careers, and some may find that their recovery is best supported by a job or location change. In either case, it is critical for recovering addicts to make recovery a priority by attending 12-Step meetings in their own community.
But if an addict returns home too soon after a 30-, 60- or 90-day rehab, they are significantly more likely to relapse and are much less likely to continue attending meetings. An extended care program, which is one of the hallmarks of Sober Living by the Sea, helps people in recovery transition gradually into independent living, work and sober recreational activities while receiving ongoing addiction treatment.
“Aftercare is the bridge between an inpatient facility and 12-Step meetings,” says Albach. “Individuals in recovery shouldn’t go back to their home town without the support and tools they will need to affect change that will sustain them for the rest of their life.”
Enter a Substance Abuse Facility Where Privacy and Confidentiality Come First
“Once an addict sobers up, they don’t usually care who knows they had a drug problem - but before and during rehab, they need the protection of an addiction treatment program that puts privacy and confidentiality first,” says Albach.
Confidentiality is the law when it comes to addiction treatment. Both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and federal drug laws protect personal treatment information and medical records. In addition, drug rehab centers are not allowed to disclose any information identifying a patient as an alcohol or drug abuser without patient consent or a court order.
There are certain drug rehab facilities, like Sober Living by the Sea, that specialize in protecting the reputation and privacy of executives, professionals and other high-profile individuals. “The Landing has a great track record for being integrity-driven and sensitive to our clients’ needs,” explains Albach.
Find a Peer Support Network
It is beneficial for executives and professionals to be around like-minded peers during chemical dependency treatment. In addition to being more comfortable, Albach says it can be humbling to be around other talented, successful people. It can also help clients realize that having money and celebrity doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness.
“It can be hard for other people to understand how someone can have great success on the outside and feel like they’re dying on the inside,” notes Albach. “Being in treatment with like-minded individuals provides the support, encouragement and camaraderie that many addicts need to stay committed to making major lifestyle changes.”
Buying into the recovery process is easier if the patient respects and relates well with the treatment staff. “Patients don’t care about credentials,” says Albach. “They want to know that the person advocating change has walked the same walk they have.”
Get Family Involved in the Treatment Process
At The Landing, families are encouraged to participate in family therapy and a three-day family program, during which families learn about the disease of addiction from the foremost experts in the field. Even after clients return home, Sober Living offers family night once a week for a year following treatment.
“It is important for families to be supportive of right thinking and actions,” advises Albach. “For example, a recovering addict needs support when they have an urge to use or need to go to a 12-Step meeting, even when it’s inconvenient for others.”
Family members also benefit from their involvement in the recovery process. Alanon is a program for loved ones of addicts that helps free them from the dysfunction addiction brings to the family system. The 12-Step program helps family members find their own peace and happiness, independent of what is happening to their loved one.
The Price of Not Getting Treatment
When you’re dealing with addiction, your professional reputation is rarely the most important thing you have to lose. Family, friends, financial stability, your health and happiness - all of these are in jeopardy when drugs or alcohol are controlling your life. In other words, the biggest threat to your career is your addiction, not rehab.
“I haven’t seen anybody who got into recovery and had it be deleterious to their career in the long term,” says Albach. “With treatment, addicts become more productive and present on the job, more accountable and more appreciative of their employment.”
Studies show it is more beneficial for employers to help their employees into rehab than it is to hire and train a replacement, who may not be as good a fit and who may have a history of troubles that will surface later.
“There is no downside to having sober people in recovery in the workplace - only the least sophisticated employers don’t understand that,” notes Albach.
Addiction is a chronic, progressive illness, which means that it doesn’t go away and gets worse over time. Without treatment, most addicts end up getting fired, costing their companies a lot of money and doing significant damage to their personal and professional lives. Chances are people won’t find out about your time in rehab - and if they do, they’re more likely to celebrate your effort to get sober than to spoil your professional reputation.