Whether you’re nearing the end of your time in rehab or you’re researching treatment programs and thinking about the more distant future, you may be wondering what work opportunities will be available for you after rehab. Specifically, you may want to know if you can work from home after rehab. The short answer is that working from home is certainly a possibility once you’re finished with treatment.
Working from Home After Rehab
Once you’ve finished your treatment program, you may very well want to go back to work. In this new era of work-from-home opportunities, you might be wondering if you can have a career that doesn’t require you to leave the house.
There is no clear reason why an employer would forbid you to work from home simply due to the fact that you were previously in rehab. You will have to work out the details with your specific employer. Also, the type of career that you have or that you want will play a large role in the ability to work from home. While working from home does have benefits, you should also consider some of the reasons why you might not want to work at home after being in rehab.
Concerns to Consider
Working from home can provide you with flexibility, but you should take into account some of the ways in which this type of position could impede your progress:
- lack of a regular schedule
- an environment of temptation
- the danger of boredom
Lack of a Regular Schedule
During your time in rehab, you’re likely to have a fairly regular schedule. You will probably engage in some of the same activities at similar times each day or week. However, once you begin working from home, you may no longer have a consistent schedule. Some work-at-home opportunities involve a lot of asynchronous projects. A regular schedule can actually be part of a healthy lifestyle and can play a role in preventing a relapse. Going out to work each day or at least several days per week can keep you on a healthy track.
An Environment of Temptation
You should also think about your triggers when deciding if working from home is the right fit for you. When you were in treatment, you likely spent some time talking about your triggers. For example, some people find that being in a stressful home environment leads them to crave drugs and alcohol. If there are factors in your home that have led you to making dangerous decisions for your health in the past, spending even more time in that environment could impede your progress. You may want to wait until you move to a healthier environment before considering a work-from-home position.
The Danger of Boredom
Some people who work from home find that they are constantly busy throughout the day and even have trouble closing their company laptops at night. Others, however, discover that they have a decent amount of free time in between meetings and projects. If being bored has led you to using drugs and alcohol in the past, the potential free time associated with a work-at-home schedule could cause problems with your recovery.
The Other Side
On the other hand, you might find yourself safe and comfortable at home. You might have a number of supportive relatives who are there to cheer you on. You may also find that going out to work causes you to encounter some of your triggers. For example, there might be a bar that you used to go to that is directly on your route home from work.
Deciding whether or not you should work at home after rehab is a decision that you have to make with care and attention. Try not to immediately jump into a decision. One option is to look into a hybrid schedule. You can test out working from home to see if larger changes to your work schedule are reasonable. Also, consider the benefits of getting to socialize with supportive colleagues at least a few days per week. To get some more insight, call 855-334-6120 to speak with a representative today.