Vocational Goals in Addiction Recovery

Working through addiction comes with struggles. Addiction can affect every part of an individual's life. For example, people struggling with substance usage may find themselves also struggling with employment. Substance usage can interfere with the ability to get and retain employment. It may cause someone to struggle with tardiness and performance in their jobs. Addiction may also cause issues in interviewing and confidence to get a job. An important part of addiction recovery is vocational goals and counseling. At West Coast Recovery Centers, we aim to provide vocational goals to all of our clients.

These goals aim to help our clients work through their addictions and achieve sobriety, as well as progress toward their long-term goals. Doing vocational work with our clients helps them learn how to maintain and manage employment when finish treatment. People who have struggled with addiction may feel apprehensive about looking for work or may have lost confidence that they can maintain employment. Vocational counseling helps to set up plans and connect our clients to the resources they need to find work and achieve their goals.

Employment and Active Addiction

There is no question that substance use disorder (SUD) can cause issues with employment and job retention. These issues may be with tardiness or performance. When addiction begins to overtake someone's daily responsibilities, it can cause them to struggle in various areas of their life. People in active addiction may not have the ability to focus on other things besides their struggles and usage. This may cause some people to struggle with job performance, and eventually end up losing employment.

There may also be a bias against those who struggle with addiction. This can make getting work difficult for those who are in active addiction. It may also make going to interviews anxiety-inducing and a trigger to those who are working through addiction. Working is important to maintain quality of life. Struggling with employment may cause even larger life struggles alongside addiction.

People who have struggled with addiction may feel that they are not capable, and this may sway them away from recovery and working toward the future. Understanding that addiction can be worked through is an important first step in recovery. In treatment, we aim to use vocational counseling and goal setting to make a positive difference in this area of our client's lives. 

The Importance of Vocational Goals in Recovery

Goal setting is integral in addiction recovery. Goals help to give clients something to work toward and something to remember when working through the difficulties of recovery. Having goals set regarding specific areas of life helps to break recovery down into manageable parts. Vocational goals give motivation to our clients and give them something to work toward. These goals can start simple, but should eventually address long-term goals for employment and a career in recovery.

Vocational goals make the future seem attainable. This gives motivation to constantly be moving forward. Working with a clinician to reach these goals helps our client stay ahead and be able to achieve a career. These goals help people work to be able to support themselves and stay healthy on their own. Vocational goals remind our clients that they are capable of living a better life. At West Coast Recovery Centers, we aim to provide the support that our clients need throughout recovery. 

West Coast Recovery Centers' Commitment to Vocational Goals

At West Coast Recovery Centers, we offer a large amount of aftercare services to our clients. These services aim to make a plan that will help our clients succeed after they leave us and help to maintain their sobriety. This means helping our clients develop plans while they stay with us to put in place after they leave. These plans can include a road map of how to achieve work and find the right resources and treatment after our clients leave our program. Giving our clients the tools they need to restart and plan their lives will help them stay sober and healthy.

Often after our clients leave inpatient programs, they may transfer to working with an outpatient provider. In our outpatient work, we can connect our clients with organizations and resources that can help them find work. These organizations can help regardless of substance usage in the past, and connect our clients with support as they enter or reenter the working world. 

Setting goals is an integral part of addiction recovery. When someone chooses to get sober and live a healthier life, they need things to focus on and to work toward. Aiming to find a career will allow clients to plan out the kind of life that they want to live. Work and careers are an important part of being a part of society and providing for oneself. These goals give our clients a reason and something to always work toward. 

When someone is dealing with addiction, things in their life may fall on the back burner. Addiction may affect people’s careers and working lives, making it difficult to maintain work or find a job. Finding a treatment facility to help you work through these issues and achieve sobriety is just one step in recovery. Having the support with vocational counseling to set attainable goals will help set you up for long-term success. Our clients are given the skills and resources they need to make a healthy change in their lives. If you are interested in learning more about how West Coast Recovery Centers can help in vocational goal setting, call us today at (760) 492-6509.