Why is there specialized addiction treatment for licensed professionals? For starters, it’s because chemical dependency among specific populations of professionals is common. Secondly, it helps affected individuals regain sobriety while protecting their licenses. What could living after addiction look like for you?
How Did You Slip into Chemical Dependency?
For many, the stresses of the job become too much. First responders consistently witness traumatic scenes. Pilots endure long shifts and chronic lack of sleep. Addiction treatment for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers acknowledges high stress and easy availability of drugs.
You might have started having a few drinks just to shut off unwelcome thoughts or feelings. Maybe opioids helped you sleep. Then, you needed stimulants to wake up and make it through the day. Before long, you use multiple substances to function.
So, fast-forward to today. Addiction treatment for licensed professionals may now be what stands between you and loss of a job. Did someone find out what’s going on? Similarly, you may be ready to quit working because you realize that the chemical dependency is taking over.
How Addiction Treatment for Licensed Professionals Works
Therapy professionals recognize the unique challenges you face. There’s no judgment at a rehab facility. In contrast, there are addiction specialists who want to help you regain sobriety. Choose a treatment delivery method that works for you. This could include some or all of the following:
- Detoxification at a rehab facility, which promotes healing, medical supervision, and protection against early relapse
- Residential treatment, which lets you live at the facility to eliminate stressors from your home life
- Partial hospitalization that frequently involves living with roommates off-site, which still provides you with supervision during the healing process
- Intensive outpatient treatment as a way to step-down care after graduation from a residential program
- Transitional living, which eases you back into the swing of your personal and professional life after treatment
Addiction treatment for pilots, lawyers, doctors, nurses, first responders, and corrections officers typically starts with a dual diagnosis assessment. Specialists want to rule out underlying mental health conditions such as depression, PTSD, or anxiety. If you struggle with one of these, it requires treatment. This care must happen at the same time as your addiction therapy.
Then, addiction specialists design your treatment protocol. Typical modalities include the following:
- Behavioral therapies, which encourage you to overcome dysfunction and regulate emotions
- Trauma treatment as a way to process specific situations
- Psychotherapy, which explores what made you reach for a drug in the first place
- Group therapy that introduces accountability and positive peer interactions
- Family therapy that helps you disarm codependency and encourages loved ones to be your support network
Recovery is a Lifelong Process
Graduation from the rehab program is a big deal. In many cases, specialized rehab facilities work with licensing boards, which allows you to keep your credentials. If you underwent treatment to satisfy legal requirements, you succeeded. Most importantly, you’re ready to embark on a new lifestyle.
Find out today how addiction treatment for licensed professionals can make a significant difference in your personal and professional outlook.