One of the most significant impediments of receiving addiction treatment is the concern of putting one’s life on hold. Generally, addicts believe that during drug rehab, the pause required would lead to falling backward regarding education and career goals. However, that doesn’t have to be the case thanks to drug rehab vocational programs.
At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we understand the value and importance of career counseling and vocational programs, which is why we integrate these elements into programming. Thus, we help prevent our patients from losing sight of their goals.
When considering the importance of independence, stability, and purpose, it is easy to understand the importance of employment. Generally, addiction can reduce the ability to sustain or maintain work. One of the most critical elements in sobriety and recovery is finding balance and finding purpose. So, let’s explore the benefits of drug rehab vocational programs and how they help addicts achieve these goals.
What Are the Benefits Of Vocational Programs?
Beginning a journey into sobriety can often feel overwhelming. Especially for those who have not built a career or have limited experience with the workforce. Therefore, ensuring drug and alcohol treatment involves vocational programming is vital. Developing the necessary professional skills can be a turning point in seeing the value recovery offers.
During the early stages of recovery, preventing relapse is a significant priority. As a result, stressors must be addressed and also kept to a minimum. Drug rehab vocational programs strive to reduce stress by making training and employment opportunities achievable for individuals that are serious about their recovery process.
Patients in drug rehab who have completed a treatment plan may qualify for these particular services regarding vocational development. These services are in addition to substance use disorder, clinical services, and mental health services.
1. Vocational Training Provides Skills for Employment
Many addicts and alcoholics come into drug rehab with little work experience struggle to find and maintaining employment. They may have never been on an interview or written a resume. Our career counseling program provides access to skills to help overcome barriers to first time employment. Some of these skills include resume building, interview techniques, communication skills, and time management skills. Additionally, programming focuses on developing achievable and realistic goals and the ability to “dress for success” with limited resources.
Through participating in our vocational programs, patients can learn many skills to set them up for success. Additionally, patients build the confidence to walk into an interview knowing their worth to a company. For example, answering questions about legal status or gaps in employment seem daunting. But through engagement in a supportive vocational rehabilitation, you can learn how to navigate these difficult situations with ease.
2. Career Counseling Increases Self-esteem
It’s prevalent for addiction to cause a reduction in self-esteem and self-worth. As a result, a focal point of treatment becomes identifying personal strengths and attributes. Without being able to recognize strengths and start building life skills, it can be challenging to develop the confidence necessary to secure employment. To people not inflicted with the disease of addiction, it seems natural to wake up each morning and go to work.
However, for many addicts and alcoholics, this is next to impossible. As a result, hygiene, structure, and even eating are not a priority. Merely going to a career center, attending a job fair, or looking online may not provide personal insights and self-esteem boosts that come with job training. It may even have an overwhelming and negative effect if you are unsure of what to expect or have minimal support throughout the process.
3. Vocational Programs in Drug Rehab Offer Stability
Vocational support can significantly improve the ability to meet some of the basic needs that everyone needs to live life. Many addicts and alcoholics use drugs to find stability for their emotions. Also, addicts use drugs to feel connected to something or cope with feelings.
As a result of security, patients begin to develop purpose, drive, and ambition. Alcoholics and addicts are impulsive people who crave structure and balance. When you start leaving the house each morning with responsibilities, a specific purpose for being alive other than getting high, the chances of seeing the value in long term sobriety are endless.
Many vocational programs incorporate family therapy to address alcohol and drug abuse in the family unit and show family members how to offer stability and support throughout the process. Having access to support groups like these can help fuel those overcoming addiction.
4. Job Placement Services Improve Self-sufficiency
After learning the life skills needed to sustain life, the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter. Learning how to pay bills and how to budget, working smarter and not harder, and managing feeling uncomfortable with new experiences is attainable.
To this day, being self-sufficient is the greatest gift that many report sobriety and recovery have provided them. Thus, we offer real opportunities for success by providing the necessary skills and tools to go out in the world and practice these concepts.
5. Relapse Prevention
While most people don’t make an immediate connection with relapse prevention, vocational programs can help with long-term sobriety. When someone is working through a plan for employment, continues to build their skills, they’re better equipped to react against triggers. In many vocational programs, relapse prevention techniques are part of the process.
We know that a “slip” or one time use of a substance may occur but does not constitute a relapse. However, we see the impact a small relapse can have on someone’s recovery efforts. Having a support system even after drug rehab can make a huge difference.
Finding Drug Rehab Vocational Programs
If you ask someone what hope means, they might say being able to want and desire for a positive outcome. Generally, during substance abuse, hope can be non-existent. Hope is one of the critical components of sustaining sobriety and finding purpose because it serves as a foundation for physical and mental healing. It provides peace and serenity and shows that today can be tremendous, and tomorrow can be even better.
We help our patients recognize their immediate and long-term goals while providing them with the skills and assistance they need to achieve them. As a result, our career counseling and vocational treatment programs help place our patients in the position to be successful. If you are struggling with addiction, the most beneficial decision is to seek professional advice, whether it is from our recovery center or through someone you trust.
