Transitioning back into one’s daily routine after treatment can be an overwhelming situation for many clients. Clients are faced with the challenges of maintaining a sober lifestyle while also navigating sobriety in their work life. When navigating the professional environment, clients may experience heightened stress and anxiety. Therefore, it is important to learn how to best navigate one’s work life simultaneously with sobriety.
At First Steps Recovery, clients are encouraged to partake in activities and strategies that support a sober lifestyle. Armed with these resources, skills, and activities, clients can experience an easier transition back into their daily lives and professional environment.
How Can One’s Professional Environment Be Overwhelming?
The professional environment can be an overwhelming setting for clients coming out of treatment in recovery. Often clients were initially drawn to substances or alcohol because of work, which means returning to that environment can lead to destructive behaviors. Work can also lead to clients being overwhelmed by work-related and social pressures. These situations may lead clients to experience greater feelings of stress and anxiety.
A person may also feel pressured to participate in after-work activities that involve drinking. The pressure to join can be significant. Additionally, clients may experience stress from their workday in general. For instance, those who experience traumatizing events in their days may feel overwhelmed by the thought of going back to work. This often applies to those who work as doctors or emergency medical technicians (EMTs), firefighters, etc. These professionals may experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can easily lead to substance abuse.
Returning to work, therefore, can cause clients stress and anxiety. While navigating a sober life, it is crucial to find a support system to turn to. This support may or may not include coworkers. Having this system can help a person maintain sobriety while transitioning back into work and daily routines.
Coping With Sobriety in the Professional Environment
Going slow when returning to work and daily life is helpful when coming out of treatment. Continuing to practice healthy coping mechanisms learned in recovery is also beneficial. These approaches keep the inner mind and body in a calm state rather than allowing anxiety to overtake oneself.
It is important to be surrounded by those who are not engaging in drinking or using substances both inside and outside of the workplace. Being around others with similar lifestyle choices helps one to maintain sobriety. Likewise, practicing sober activities helps engage with those in the workplace in a less stressful way.
Clients should also continue to support their recovery by scheduling follow-up appointments when needed. It’s helpful to keep in touch with one’s recovery facility as much as needed, including engaging with an alumni group. Finding a supportive environment that helps create safety and stability is crucial for the transition back into the workplace.
What Employers Can Do
It is also helpful when employers attempt to reduce stigmas surrounding substance use disorders (SUDs). Strategies for achieving this may include educating employees and trying to create a supportive space for those affected by these disorders. Some workplaces also have programs to help employees within or outside of treatment to maintain productivity in a healthy way.
The Sober Lifestyle With First Steps Recovery
At First Steps Recovery, a sober lifestyle is practiced daily in treatment. Clients have access to a multitude of holistic care services that encourage sober activities. At the facility, these can include yoga, art therapy, and music therapy. Other services involve outdoors-based therapies and practices such as wilderness therapy. First Steps Recovery takes a whole-person approach to healing, and many of these practices can be used to help ease negative mental health symptoms.
Each client is unique, and finding the right sober activities and practices that mesh well for the individual is crucial for the success of recovery. Personalized treatment plans are curated for clients to encourage them to learn about themselves on a deeper, more personal level away from addictive substances. Clients can begin to implement healthy coping mechanisms into their daily lives to encourage sobriety outside of the facility.
Taking Slow and Deliberate Steps Forward
Recovery is a process, so it is important for clients to take a slow and steady approach. Especially when transitioning back into their professional environments, clients can return to these healthy coping mechanisms for support and stability.
First Steps Recovery also maintains relationships with its clients. Clients are welcome to reach out at any time. The safe and stable environment of First Steps Recovery will always be there. The staff understands that there are external factors involved with alcohol and substance abuse.
Providing individualized and continuous treatment, even after the initial treatment program, is a priority. Easing the mind, body, and spirit while transitioning back into daily routines may require clients to keep in touch with their team at First Steps Recovery.
First Steps Recovery understands that transitioning back into daily routines and professional environments can be overwhelming. Often work is a reason clients started to use alcohol or substances. Because of this, we prioritize learning healthy coping mechanisms and seeking whole-person healing. Clients are welcome to participate in holistic services such as outdoor-based, relaxation-focused, and creative therapies. These holistic options can also be practiced by oneself in one’s daily routine. They are meant to help heal the mind, body, and spirit, which can ease anxieties or stress when transitioning out of treatment and into normal routines. The staff also stays in touch with clients to ensure smooth transitioning and ongoing support. To learn more about our services, please call (844) 489-0836.
