Finding a Job After Rehab
(And How Sober Living Can Help)
We understand how difficult it can be for individuals struggling with substance abuse to find a job after rehab. Let’s explore why this is, and how Sober Living at Roots Recovery can help.
Why is it Difficult to Find a Job After
Substance Abuse Treatment?
Searching for employment after rehab can seem a little discouraging at best and utterly hopeless at worst. Some common hurdles we help our clients face include:
1. Gaps in employment history: Some jobs are more understanding than others when it comes to gaps in employment history, and you may feel uncomfortable if asked to explain your time in rehab to a potential employer. While you are not obligated to disclose your health history and time in rehab, you may end up stuck between a rock and a hard place if asked to explain the gap.
2. Prejudice from potential employers, and fear of stigmatization: The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) legislation may prohibit outright discrimination, but unfortunately, the stigma against those in recovery is alive and well. It’s a sad reality that those who struggled with substance abuse in the past are sometimes perceived as untrustworthy, weak, or undependable.
3. Deficit of education or skills: Individuals who have suffered from substance use disorder have potentially seen months or years of their lives stolen away by addiction. If you became addicted at a younger age, this means that you may have dropped out of high school or college and may not have the educational requirements or skills needed for certain jobs.
4. A possible criminal record: Some individuals in rehab may have found themselves acting out of character while addicted. You may have had DUIs, been caught in the act of using, been caught in the possession of an illegal substance, or been caught going to unlawful lengths to attain this substance. This may have resulted in a criminal record, which can impact your job search.
However, while these obstacles may make the idea of searching for employment after rehab seem like a fruitless effort, there are ways to overcome them — and Roots Recovery can help.
How Sober Living Can Help Secure Employment
Structured sober living homes provide individuals in recovery with a safe, warm, and healthy environment to support their sobriety. Sober living can help teach life skills like cooking and keeping a clean living space, all while building relationships with others in recovery and forming lifelong bonds with those on a similar path. Sober living clients are also expected to attend regular counseling and house meetings.
The structure and routine offered by our sober living environments at Roots Recovery helps our clients adjust to having a daily schedule, which will serve them well in a job setting. And when it comes to employment, our house managers provide additional support by helping our clients seek and attain employment when they’re ready, personally ensuring that unemployed residents have reliable transportation to and from job interviews and, eventually, their places of employment.
Additionally, as part of our life skills training in sober living, our counselors and staff will provide guidance to help our clients build resumes and improve their interview skills to produce stronger job applications.
Sober Living in Milwaukee, WI
The gender-specific sober living homes at Roots Recovery are structured around our clients’ treatments, and include nightly house meetings, counseling sessions with our therapists, and 12-step meetings in the community. This helps our clients form routines and keeps them accountable, and the sobriety skills and coping mechanisms they’ve learned during rehab are put into practice every day.
To learn more about sober living at Roots Recovery, or to find out more about our treatment programs for yourself or for a loved one struggling with addiction, reach out to us today at 844.747.5682.