Why Executives Can Benefit from Longer Treatment Programs
Burnout and feelings of overwhelm are common for people today who seem to work longer hours and work harder than ever before. The stress of trying to work a difficult job can lead to many issues, especially for executives who feel the burden of heading a company, team, or projects that find them working long hours. Substance abuse may occur to deal with this stress and burden, to the point where executives need to seek treatment to find help.
Market Shifts
The global market is always shifting and moving. With all the ups and downs, this can bring stress to people whose work relies on whether the markets are performing well or poorly. A market that shifts a lot, or a job inside of a company that works with market fluctuations, can cause a lot of stress for financial professionals and others whose livelihoods (and others) depends on working with the market. There is no control over how these things go, so a person can feel very vulnerable. Pressure at work is difficult for people to navigate, so they turn to substances as a means of coping. White-collar professionals are using less cocaine or heroin and turning to prescription painkillers, obtaining multiple prescriptions by doctor shopping, and devastating their lives and careers.
Entering Treatment
A high-profile executive is less likely than the average person to admit the need for a problem and go to treatment. Not only that, but they are less likely to feel capable of leaving their life to enter treatment for addiction. They do not want to disrupt their lives or go to 12-step meetings and be seen by the public. Most of the time, they want to be anonymous and have what they are doing be confidential. The challenge they face is lowering the barrier to get them into treatment. Shorter treatment programs may seem ideal but they are not always as effective a 90-day treatment program. Some of the ways they view this are:
- Wanting flexible treatment options
- Desiring more luxury treatment
- Finding meetings where they travel for work
- Not completely unplug but find options for seeking help
A 90-day treatment program can prepare them better for life after treatment since only two weeks is just long enough to detox from the drugs they used. Breaking through barriers includes peeling back the layers of their addiction to make them vulnerable enough to heal. When defenses are high to cope with stress at work, they are less likely to experience the healing they want from addiction and enter recovery. Getting through people’s defense mechanisms is difficult because it requires a lot of effort and energy, which takes time. After 90 days, a professional executive, even with flexibility around their work, can find themselves digging deeper into why they use substances and understanding how to cope more effectively in a world, or job, that seems to bring more stress to their lives. The more a person can find support in treatment, the better off they will be, even if it means letting go of some things like work to get better in the short term and create a healthier future.
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Community model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
