Pursuing a life of sobriety is an amazing experience. However, taking time off work to commit to treatment can be incredibly intimidating for many. It can leave an individual feeling like they have to choose between sobriety and professional life.
Taking time off can be challenging, either because of fear of how it will affect a person’s employment or if they feel they cannot take it for financial reasons. While there are protections in place for an individual to pursue treatment while maintaining their employment status, outpatient treatment can provide the resources, structure, and education to facilitate a sober life while continuing to address the need for sobriety and change.
The Importance of Outpatient Programs
Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) help individuals navigate their journey to sobriety and overcome challenges, urges, cravings, prevalent emotional challenges, and mental health disorders. Individuals can address these needs with professionals and peers while still maintaining their daily life outside the treatment facility.
Those engaging in dedicated outpatient programs will attend meetings at the facility for individual, group, and experiential therapies and other forms of support at a predetermined time. This approach allows each person to continue exploring their sober practices and personal life while doing the following:
- Building relationships with peers
- Developing effective techniques to balance work stresses
- Furthering a culture of healing
Working professionals can best utilize IOPs to balance their sobriety with their professional development. The community and flexibility available at Redpoint can create a program to help each individual work towards their goals while tending to personal needs and professional responsibilities.
Creating Your Own Recovery and Work Schedule
Managing an effective schedule can be one of the most challenging parts of continuing to tend to an individual’s dedicated sober efforts throughout daily life. Workplace schedules can make it challenging for individuals to find time for themselves and their needs.
Those working inconsistent schedules or shifts can find these challenges further exacerbated. The IOP structure at Redpoint is designed to fit the needs of the individual and work around their schedule to ensure that there is always an opportunity to engage in effective treatment for overcoming addiction.
With programs available both in the morning for those working nights or in the afternoon for those working earlier day shifts, each individual can choose the best schedule. This way, they can create a personalized approach to recovery with pertinent skills and strategies. Additionally, individuals can create a personalized approach to creating the most effective schedule.
Those in recovery can also fluctuate between different times for their program to adjust to their changing work schedules to ensure that each individual always has access to the care needed. Coupled with the ability to keep weekends with the family and to schedule around any familial traditions, such as family game nights, this malleable approach to addiction treatment can be instrumental for pursuing treatment while still tending to professional life and personal life.
A Resource for Overcoming the Stresses of Work
Sobriety is a complex thing to achieve and maintain. Those overcoming their use of drugs or alcohol while at work can be under a lot of stress. A person’s work can greatly influence their continued sobriety in the following ways:
- Urges and cravings to reengage with destructive substances
- Coping with the inherent and trying stresses of the workplace
- Pending deadlines
- Responsibilities
- Expectations
- Responsibilities
- Less than understanding or challenging coworkers
Surprise overtime, stressful workplace confrontations, and even learning to navigate work holiday parties where the use of addictive substances may be accepted and celebrated can all be challenging situations for those in recovery. However, IOPs are an invaluable resource for overcoming these stresses alongside supportive and understanding peers.
IOPs provide a space to empower individuals to continue focusing on their sobriety while also exploring how these stresses impact their recovery. Developing new strategies for processing workplace stress, embracing new self-care routines, and having an opportunity to explore these strategies in IOPs before putting them into practice in a real-world professional setting can be a truly transformative experience.
Coping with the stresses at work, and understanding how these stresses can continue to affect an individual’s health outside of the workplace, can be best addressed in IOPs while directly challenging these feelings in a safe and supportive environment.
Creating Your Structure
IOPs are flexible enough to help working professionals manage their daily life while still having access to dedicated addiction treatment. The structure and time-management skills practiced in maintaining this balance are also instrumental life skills outside the treatment facility. Having the schedule and structure to build a new life of sobriety around can be an amazing resource. Those in recovery can continue to spend time with family and friends and tend to professional responsibilities while committing to a truly effective IOP for a healthier, sober life.
Outpatient treatment programs are instrumental in getting each person the necessary treatment for overcoming addiction without impeding professional responsibilities. Balancing work life and continued sobriety is difficult, and Redpoint is committed to helping you take the necessary steps toward your sobriety while continuing to tend to these responsibilities. Our flexible schedule and personalized approach to every treatment program are designed to empower those in recovery to take their recovery into their own hands, developing their most effective strategies and schedule while providing education, support, and practical strategies to continue navigating the stresses of the workplace. For more information on how we can develop a program that is right for you, call to speak to us at (303) 710-8496.
