Why is Executive Addiction Treatment Different Than Other Kinds of Rehab?
The challenges professionals face in treatment for addiction are different than those for the average person seeking help. What makes their circumstances unique include the type of work they perform everyday, on top of struggling with addiction, while trying to maintain their professional lives. Executives and professionals who require licenses to work (doctors, nurses, etc) often feel intense pressure to work long hours in stressful work environments. This may drive them to drink or use drugs to cope with stress. Find out how treatment differs for executives and what to expect when reaching out for help.
Executives and Substance Abuse
What may seem unmanageable for a person in recovery may not feel the same for an individual who works as an executive or high level professional. Their work lives are usually inclusive of long, odd hours of work, traveling away from family, experiencing stressful situations, and not feeling as much support to leave work to get help for mental health or substance use issues. By working with trained addiction specialists who can accommodate them, they learn how to make life more manageable without the use of substances. Health and sobriety must come first which can be difficult for some people. It is possible to get better without neglecting professional obligations. The key thing is to keep people from causing harm to themselves or others while under the influence. Some programs are amenable to offering different schedules for people in recovery who are professionals so they can accommodate their work schedules and still get the treatment they need.
Executive Addiction Recovery
When a professional seeks out help from an addiction recovery program, it is helpful to look at what they offer as far as flexible times for therapy and programs and services. Specialized services will help professionals feel more connected to the program and support meeting their goals. These may include:
- Customized plans for executives
- All providers working together in one place to support the individual’s treatment goals (counselors, addiction specialists, holistic practices)
- Integrating different philosophies of treatment to incorporate holistic health and wellness practices
- Privilege of privacy and anonymity so the person can find healing without letting stigma of world outside impact their recovery, including any clients
- Coordinated care for community resources, one-to-one support, and ways to keep sobriety at the forefront of a person’s life in recovery
The best way for executives to stay on the path of sober living is to look at all the triggers that led them to use in the first place. If it is stress, relationships, mental health issues, or past trauma, that person may consider working with a recovery team of specialists who can address these concerns and help them navigate recovery in a healthier way.
What matters most for executives in treatment is learning more about addiction and mental health so they can go back to work, and life, feeling more in control of their recovery. Finding a healing place to do this can support sober living and create a new life for that person’s career and relationships in recovery.
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.
