Those unfamiliar with high-functioning addiction are often shocked to find that it’s not uncommon for highly successful people to have a substance use disorder. Not only are these busy working professionals spending massive amounts of time and energy at their jobs, but they are also working double-time to keep the effects of their addiction concealed from their co-workers and loved ones. This takes an insurmountable amount of effort, which is why the stigma of people with substance use disorder being weak-willed is incorrect and very damaging for those who are too afraid to seek treatment due to shame.
If this scenario is familiar to you as a busy professional, the idea of seeking treatment can seem unfeasible since you are always prioritizing your career and substance use over everything else. However, the reality is, addiction won’t go away on its own, and it can only end badly if not appropriately treated by medical professionals. Avoid hitting “rock bottom,” which can potentially cause you to lose everything you’ve worked so hard to build and consider the ways you can treat your substance use disorder without having to dismantle your professional life to get healthy.
High-Pressure High Risk
The pressure on professionals, especially in high-stress industries, is immense and battling constant competition to reach the top is often too much for many to handle. With opioids, it’s not uncommon for someone to slip into addiction after being prescribed an opioid for a legitimate health reason such as chronic pain from many late nights at the office, in front of the computer, or other ailments. With the debilitating nature of withdrawals, it’s easy to see how staving off the impending sick feeling could push someone to continue using the drug simply so they can continue to feel “normal” and get through the day. This cycle, along with the new opioid prescribing guidelines (making it much harder to doctor shop for medication) creates the gateway from prescription opioids to highly inconsistent and dangerous illicit street opioids.
Regardless of what opioid you are misusing, you may have found yourself at the point where this is no longer a recreational escape as some people wrongly assume. Your body requires you to continue using opioids in order to function, making it essential for you to maintain your professional career. This is something that can be kept up for only so long before the dangers and risks of prolonged opioid misuse take over the brain and body that can result in fatal consequences.
Discrete Outpatient MAT
As with any professional, image and reputation hold a lot of weight. That’s why it’s difficult for successful people who struggle with addiction to be open and honest about their substance use, even with themselves. Since addiction is a disease like any other that needs medical attention, receiving help is your private business that doesn’t need to be shared with co-workers. While lengthy inpatient programs make it challenging to maintain your career and privacy, an outpatient clinic that offers medication-assisted treatment through prescriptions of FDA-approved medications can help you get a handle on your substance use without putting your life and work on hold.
Receiving MAT is similar to a doctor visit where your health is checked and monitored to ensure your progress while you take prescription medication that will keep withdrawal symptoms at bay, allowing you to continue to live your daily life without the tasking cycle of addiction. Your medical provider will decide which medication is best for you and with the incorporation of substance use counseling, you will soon see that it’s possible to recovery from substance use disorder without having to turn your professional life upside down. Upon recovery, you may go on to achieve things in your career you never thought were possible because of the grip of addiction that was holding you back.