Addiction derails lives regardless of age. For many of us, it happens during the formative years of early adulthood. One day you’re an 18-year-old graduating high school without a care in the world, and next thing you know you’re a 26-year-old college dropout trying to put the pieces of your life back together after hitting rock bottom again. Or maybe it was your career that got derailed when a DUI arrest finally revealed years of alcoholism to your employer. Whatever the case may be, facing the real world again after going through rehab is a scary prospect. Relapse seems to lurk around every corner. But have you considered how working for a treatment center could help your sobriety?
Working a Program Becomes Built-In
Many recovering addicts fall prey to one main pitfall in long-term recovery: they stop working a program.
It’s understandable. Life gets busy. The farther away we are from treatment, the more likely we are to rationalize a priority shuffle. Is going to a meeting REALLY more important than hitting the gym? Health is important too, right? Or maybe your boss offers overtime that could really help you get ahead financially. Whatever these new priorities may be, they are never more important than working a program. That program (no matter how tedious it may seem) is what allows the other priorities to even be an option.
But when working for a treatment center, the importance of programming becomes drilled into our heads. We become surrounded by daily reminders of what happens if relapse strikes.
Daily Reminders
Working for a treatment center keeps you on your toes. While the tedium of a normal 9-to-5 may lull you into complacency, you’ll have no such luxury if you choose to work alongside freshly recovering addicts. You’re surrounded by the effects of relapse on a daily basis. Detox centers in particular offer a keen window into the misery of withdrawal. With these daily reminders surrounding you at your workplace, it’s hard to slide into that same complacency. Add group therapy sessions on top of that. And before you know it, working a program becomes built in to your livelihood.
So why do people in recovery struggle with working a program outside of work?
Too Close for Comfort
People who struggle with addiction are at a disadvantage in recovery for two main reasons.
- Reason One: Stress triggers relapse quite easily simply because the normal barriers to substance abuse are ineffective. Addicts’ unique physiology causes them to react to their drug of choice differently than the average person.
- Reason Two: The human mind is wired to practice selective memory as a means to survive.
Thanks to the difficulty of life before civilization, the human mind evolved to adapt to new circumstances. Our environment has stabilized much faster than our cognitive adaptation could keep up with. As a result, the reasoning behind past decisions (i.e. the decision to stop using/drinking) usually becomes obfuscated with time. We forget what rock bottom feels like. This is known as selective memory.
Working for a treatment center makes rock bottom too close for comfort. So selective memory isn’t an option. So what are some possible jobs working for a treatment center?
Possible Jobs Working for a Treatment Center
Treatment centers offer many different opportunities and entry points for employment. Finding a job working for a treatment center depends on your ultimate career and personal goals. Consider, for example, whether you’d like to earn a degree or certificate that will enable you to help guide other recovering addicts through therapy.
Going Back to School
You May Qualify for Free College Education
Do you realize that federal and state governments give away free money to students for college every semester? These grants can be used toward both your tuition and living expenses. If you are interested in learning how to go to school and treatment simultaneously, submit a FAFSA online and call one of our addiction counselors today.
Positions That Require Degrees
Therapist
Therapists can specialize in addiction treatment. Learn about MFT Licensure and Master’s Social Work.
Psychologist
Psychologists have advanced degrees like a Doctorate of Psychology. Learn the differences here.
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists typically have independent practices that work with treatment centers to provide appropriate medications.
Entry-Level Opportunities
Not all positions working for a treatment center require degrees. Here are some entry-level positions available.
Behavioral Health Technician
This is the closest entry-level position to a case manager/therapist. BHTs guide clients in their programming.
Support Staff
Help support and maintain the house logistics. Includes duties like cooking, housekeeping, grounds-keeping, etc.
House Manager
Good sober livings employ house managers who live on site rent-free. It requires responsibility, diligence, and a strong bullshit detector.
Driver
Clients typically face problems with transportation. So treatment centers seek staff drivers who can shuttle them to appointments, meetings, etc.
Working for a Treatment Center Requires Sobriety
Working for a treatment center can certainly help you maintain your sobriety. But to get there, you need to have a strong foundation of sobriety to work with. If you or a loved one is seeking help for a substance abuse problem, our addiction counselors are available 24/7: 855-737-7363