Relapse Prevention

Last week I had the privilege of observing a "transition group" that prepares the residents of PSI for various issues they'll face once they are living on their own in the community. This series of six classes is led by the vocational educator, who kindly asked me to help with the group. The topic for the first meeting was "Avoiding Triggers in the Workplace."

All of the residents of PSI are addicts. Even though to live at PSI they can not be currently using drugs, they still struggle with addiction and carry that diagnosis for the rest of their lives. I was completely unaware of the difficulties that addicts face in a place as seemingly innocent as at their job. As a group, we discussed what could happen at work to make someone want to use again, as well as what solutions to those problems could be. Some of the common workplace triggers to use include:

• Pay day. When an addict is handed a check, it can be hard to resist cashing it in to buy drugs. To avoid this, you can immediately hand their check over to a trusted friend, or set up direct deposit to distance yourself a little from the money.
• Having too much free time or too little supervision on the job. Being bored at work and having no one there to watch you can lead to temptations to use on the job. To avoid this, you can ask your supervisor for extra tasks to pick up, or attend meetings that you aren't necessarily required to be at.
• Working long hours or having too much supervision on the job. This can lead to stress and pressure to perform, which can lead to a desire to use. To avoid this, you can politely turn down tasks your supervisor asks of you, or kindly tell your supervisor you would like the opportunity to work more independently.
• Office holiday parties. There will be lots of alcohol and possibly drugs around, and co-workers may even unknowingly pressure an addict to drink. To avoid this, you can show your face to the VIPs at work, and then tell co-workers you have other plans and can't stay at the party.

I was fascinated by our discussion. It is so important for people to be sensitive to these issues, and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity for the residents to teach me about the struggles they face.