A huge part of recovery is developing tools to avoid relapse. After we detox, the challenges of clean living begin. There are so many triggers in our lives, and if we don’t explore them and become aware of them, we might relapse into our prior negative coping methods.
Hard Work
Work, is one of the biggest stress generators we have. Whether you are employed full-time, part time, working multiple jobs, underemployed, or unemployed, jobs are difficult. For many people, this is managed by drinking or enjoying substances after a day’s labor–or a laborious day looking for a job. Some people are able to do this without developing problems, but many of us begin to need that drink at the end of the day. It begins to become something we think about as a means to get through the day, and a critical part about how we get through it all. In other words, it becomes a problem.
Bad Medicine
Many people who use drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism don’t see the problem coming. It’s often innocent enough, they’re doing what they know how to get through something hard. This is called self-medicating and many of us don’t even know we’re doing it. Medicine often comes with harmful side effects. Work, for most of us, cannot be avoided. If we don’t deal with the issues which are causing us to drink to get through our job, we will still have the problems of the job, but also have problems brought on from alcohol or drug dependency.
The problems caused from work are going to be specific to the individual. Maybe we’re in the wrong field, maybe we have a toxic work environment, maybe our economic situation forces us to work too hard in unsafe conditions, etc. Some of these triggers can be changed, but others have to be managed. This is best done working with a therapist and or a support group.
If you are worried that you might be developing a dependency on alcohol or other substances because of your job, please get help. In Florida alcohol detox programs are available that can help you build a program to prevent relapse by addressing toxic issues such as your work environment. Contact us to learn how we can help you today.
