While You Wait: Talking to Your Boss Before Alcohol Rehab
Continuing our series of exploratory posts this month into the best ways to fill your time during the days before you are able to start addiction treatment at alcohol rehab, today we’re talking about one of the hard steps you’ll have to take before heading off to treatment: talking to your boss.
When to Talk to Your Boss About Alcohol Rehab
Timing is important when it comes to having the conversation about heading off to alcohol rehab with your superiors at work. You don’t want to tell them before you have a date lined up for treatment because, if it takes longer than you planned, you may find yourself without a job before you were expecting it. You also don’t want to wait so long that they hear rumors from others about your alcohol addiction treatment plans. The best idea is to avoid discussing your plans for alcohol rehab with any of your co-workers or anyone at work until after you have spoken with your boss. If making sure you have a job when you return is a priority, wait until you have some solid information to give your superiors in terms of the dates you will be gone and what – if anything – you can do for them while you are away, depending upon the nature of your job.
How to Broach the Subject of Alcohol Rehab with Your Superiors
It’s not an easy conversation to have. You are simultaneously admitting that you have an alcohol addiction issue while telling your boss that they are going to have to do without you for a time – it’s likely that neither is what they want to hear. In some cases, your boss may not be surprised at all that you are seeking alcohol addiction treatment. Even if you think that you’ve kept your alcoholism or alcohol abuse issues completely separate from your job, chances are that those who work with you have picked up on the signs.
Most bosses will be glad that you are getting the help that you need to heal, but it might just be impossible for them to hold your position open in wait for your return. It’s not personal, but their business must function in your absence and if you hold a key position to its operation, then it may be necessary for them to hire someone when you leave – and it’s not necessarily fair for that person to be fired when you come back.
Don’t lose hope, however. Keep things positive and burn no bridges by blaming or causing fights. You never know when a position will open up again – maybe one higher up on the ladder or one that you’ve been wanting for awhile and with your position filled, you may be the perfect person to take the newly open job. If not, you can always get a great reference to take with you and use to get a new job when you complete alcohol rehab – as long as you make sure that you end things on a positive note.
Check out our last post in the series, Preparing Yourself Mentally for Alcohol Rehab, and get ready for the next post: Figuring Out How to Pay for Alcohol Rehab.
