What can I say at work? The Dos and Don’ts of Talking About Recovery
What can I say at work? The answer is “it depends.” Sometimes being too transparent leaves you wide open to overly ambitious people and predators. Whether you work in a culture that does or does not involve alcohol or substance abuse you need to decide how vulnerable you will be about your struggles. Who can you trust? You may need to justify to your employer you are making time for weekly counseling, medical care, and any additional support for long-term recovery. Sometimes this may be easy to navigate. Justifying mental and physical health care is not as hard as it used to be. The public recognizes that your health will benefit your coworkers and employer. Let’s look at a few do’s and don’ts.
Do’s for talking about recovery with your employer:
Be sure that this discussion will benefit you in every way.
You decide how much you reveal.
If your employer is a “friend” then you can be more open. You may want to share the things that trigger you, like having to attend work functions where there is alcohol. If you realize 50-60 hours a week is not helping your recovery, maybe you need to move to part-time hours or a less demanding position for awhile?
If your employer is “neutral” you can be clinical - say that you are in recovery and abstinent from your drug/substance of choice and are getting support to maintain sobriety. Let them know as far ahead of time as possible about appointments and the necessity of following through on treatment.
If your employer is a challenge, schedule appointments on your days off. You may need to look for another job.
Don’ts for talking to your employer about alcohol or substance abuse:
Your employer does not need to know your whole history and schedule. Be clear and brief.
You don’t have to be open about your recovery if your intuition tells you to be silent.
Don’t trust a gossip, whether it’s a coworker or your immediate supervisor or boss. It may take some observation and time to figure this out.
What if I’m the employer?
If you are self-employed you only have yourself to contend with. You may have to extract yourself from working too much and stop believing that it’s in control and on you. AlAnon is a great place to get group support for recovery from being the martyr or the control freak. You may have to learn to delegate and prioritize what you value. Currently my priority list reads:
God
Sleep
Exercise
Eat
Relationships, work and fun can fill in the gaps. I hope this is a helpful starting point for getting what you need to be successful for a lifetime. If you want more support, call 720-577-5571 or book a free 15 minute consultation.
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Luke 16.13 (NLT)
