Sometimes, the professionals who work the hardest to help others need help themselves. First responders, healthcare professionals, and those in safety-sensitive positions, such as airline pilots and transportation professionals, experience a tremendous amount of stress and trauma. When they turn to drugs or alcohol to cope, they may develop substance use disorders. Customized care can help ensure that addiction treatment for professionals is successful.
Stressful Environments
Addiction treatment for professionals must address the underlying issues behind the substance use disorder. For first responders, healthcare professionals, and others in stressful environments, the mental and physical stress of everyday work can be tremendous. These professionals experience trauma virtually every day as they attend to victims of accidents, violence, or serious illness.
These constant stressful environments can lead to mental health and substance use disorders. In fact, it is estimated that 30 percent of first responders develop behavioral health conditions including, but not limited to, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 20 percent in the general population.
Signs of Addiction
For the professional who is faced with the challenges of addiction, the first step is to recognize the signs of substance use disorder which can include:
- Work absenteeism and frequent disappearances from work
- Unreliability in keeping appointments and meeting deadlines
- Work performance that fluctuates significantly in quality
- Mistakes made due to inattention, poor judgment, and bad decisions
- Confusion, memory loss, and difficulty concentrating or recalling details and instructions
- Disintegrating interpersonal relations with co-workers
- Progressive deterioration in personal appearance and hygiene
- Personality change – mood swings, anxiety, depression, lack of impulse control, suicidal thoughts, or gestures
- Increasing personal and professional isolation.
These symptoms can affect an individual’s work as well as their personal lives. Their health and well-being depend on effective addiction treatment for professionals that addresses their specific needs.
Customized Care
To address the issues facing professionals in regard to their mental and physical health, individualized addiction treatment and mental health treatment plans must be designed around each person’s unique circumstances. Factors that can affect the severity of the substance use disorder include the length and severity of the substance use, personal history, and the type of profession the individual is engaged in daily. Personality types can also be a factor as high achievers may be more prone to fall victim to the cycle of addiction.
Co-Occurring Diagnoses
Professionals who attempt to cope with trauma or mental health issues with drugs or alcohol may also develop a substance use disorder. Co-occurring disorders involve both and must be treated together, whether the mental health disorder causes the substance abuse or vice versa. A co-occurring disorder is also referred to as a dual diagnosis. BRC Recovery specializes in addiction treatment for professionals, particularly those with a dual diagnosis.
In 2018, 31.3 percent of adults with any mental illness and 32.3 percent of adults with a serious mental illness were binge drinkers in the past month compared with 25.3 percent of adults with no mental illness. The percentages of adults who used illicit drugs in the past year were higher among those with serious mental illness (49.4 percent) and adults with any mental illness (36.7 percent) compared with those without any mental illness (15.7 percent).
Short-Term, Intensive Workshops
One of the most effective options for addiction treatment for professionals is a short-term intensive workshop. Professionals may not want to or be able to devote time to a long-term residential program. Short-term programs can be just as effective, particularly when focused on intensive healing. BRC Recovery’s family of programs includes Makana Path, specializing in intensive healing workshops, which can supercharge recovery for professionals, as they compile years of therapy into a week. Customized care at Makana Path is a true therapeutic experience.
CONTACT BRC RECOVERY FOR HELP
At BRC Recovery, we recognize that, as a professional, you lead a busy life. We provide the customized care you need for mental health and substance use disorders so you can return to your work and your personal life in a healthy and safe manner. Through our family of programs, including the intensive healing workshops at Makana Path, we provide the addition treatment you need for your mental and emotional health. Our team of experts focuses on holistic healing so you can experience real recovery. We take every precaution to ensure you get the help you need as we focus on supporting first responders during COVID-19.