So you’ve completed rehab, and it’s time to return to work. Maybe you’re wondering how you’ll be able to handle the triggers that may cause you stress. Or perhaps how you will address that awkward elephant in the room with your colleagues/management. This blog will be able to provide you with the insight you need to feel confident in yourself when returning to work after addiction treatment.

Return-To-Work Plan

Chances are, since you’ve been able to go to rehab and are able to return to work, management already knows what’s going on. This can be used to your advantage to create a return-to-work plan. This type of strategy is used to maximize the employee’s probability of success. The plan is jointly developed by the employee, employer and the employee’s health care provider. Within the plan, the job description should include tasks, time expectations for those tasks and milestones that are quantifiable to the individual. If there is anything that doesn’t work for the employee within the job description, accommodations need to be listed and discussed. If there are tasks that the employee can not complete, they need to be reassigned to different tasks. Any doctor’s notes that the employee may have can also be discussed when developing this plan.

The key for this strategy to work is to conduct regular reviews with the employee and make adjustments as needed. 

Stress Mitigation

Life is stressful enough on the day-to-day as it is — adding in the potential for relapse can put you right over the edge. This is why prevention is critical. Knowing that you’re returning to an environment where stress might be triggered depending on your tasks, it’s a good idea to have different tools you can use to manage your stress. If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of our suggestions.

Identify Your Triggers

This is something you’ll probably learn in rehab. If possible, it’s a good idea to create potential situations with a loved one that may be stressful for you at work. This way, you can practice how you would handle that specific moment. 

Box Breathing

If you feel a bout of rage about to come out of you, remove yourself from that situation. Go somewhere to sit and breathe for 5 minutes. By utilizing the box breathing technique, you can activate the fibres that stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system. This enables you to calm down. 

Walk

If you’re aware that you’re feeling agitated or you can feel the stress rising, get yourself outside. Walk for 5-10 minutes. 

How To Be Vulnerable With Colleagues

The truth is you don’t have to be, and it’s your choice. If you’re willing to open up to some people and not with others, that’s okay too. Just decide what you’d like to say before going back. For those that you’d like to discuss with, it might inspire them. It could also help them get through something you know nothing about. Vulnerability in the workplace can have many benefits! However, if someone who you’re uncomfortable sharing personal details with asks about your abstinence, say you had to do something personal, and everything is under control now. 

Depending on your place of employment, some transitions may be easier than others. But remember, it’s a transition; bumps along the way are expected. Everyone moves at their own pace, and that is okay. To have a successful recovery, support is needed at all levels — that includes returning to work after addiction treatment. So honour yourself and be proud of where you’re at! 🙂