We’re all aware that the pandemic has affected everyone’s lives by causing unemployment, businesses to close, quarantine isolation and depression, worry for loved ones, and so much more. If you’re a frontline worker, you may feel immense stress and responsibility to keep the lives of Americans running, and for some comes the weight of saving those lives as well. Along with the selflessness and bravery of frontline workers risking their lives everyday, comes serious mental health issues including substance abuse. At Transformations Care, we’re dedicated to educating and providing treatment for those struggling with addiction in these hard times— especially frontline workers.
Frontline Workers & Mental Health Disorders
Courageous workers are risking their own lives everyday leading to stress, anxiety, depression, and insomnia directly increasing the risk of mental health and substance abuse disorders. Some of these brave heroes include:
- Healthcare workers
- Police officers, firefighters, EMS
- Social workers, clinicians, therapists
- Farmers and agriculture workers
- Electricians, plumbers, construction workers
- Grocery and convenience store workers
According to the CDC, it’s important for frontline workers to recognize the signs arising from mental health issues and the importance of getting help when they need it. Some of these symptoms to look for include:
- Feeling irritation, anger, or denial
- Feeling uncertain, nervous, or anxious
- Feeling helpless or powerless
- Lacking motivation
- Feeling tired, overwhelmed, or burned out
- Feeling sad or depressed
- Having trouble sleeping
- Having trouble concentrating
When Is It Time to Get Help For Substance Abuse?
If you’re a frontline worker struggling with mental health disorders and/or addiction, know you’re definitely not alone. You need to get professional addiction treatment sooner than later because if you don’t, your addiction will only put you in a worse situation — helping less people whether it’s due to missing work, losing your job from using at work, or endangering others due to drug or alcohol use. Addiction is a disease and just like any disease, you wouldn’t put off getting treatment. Allowing yourself to get help may just be the best decision you make — and the decision that will save your life. At Transformations Care, we use a dual diagnosis approach meaning we treat the addiction and the underlying trauma that fuels your addiction. Take the time you need to heal with residential addiction treatment so you can return to thriving on the front lines. Give our admissions team a call today to learn more about how to approach your HR rep and let them know you want to take time off from work to seek addiction treatment.
How to Use EAP’s To Get Addiction Treatment
Under the FMLA or Family Medical Leave Act, as a working professional, you’re legally allowed to take up to 12 weeks off from work to seek addiction treatment and while in treatment, you can’t be fired. Now if you’re drinking or using on the job, that’s a different story… so don’t wait. Get help sooner than later before your addiction only continues to f*** up your life. If you don’t feel comfortable telling your human resources representative that you’re struggling with addiction and it’s affecting your job as a frontline worker, you can ask to speak with your company’s EAP. An EAP or Employee Assistance Program acts a an unbiased 3rd party that can give you free consultations and referrals to not only any addiction treatment program, but the right residential addiction treatment program to ensure you get the care and the time you need to get clean and sober for good. To learn more about how EAP’s and the FMLA can help you get the addiction treatment you need, give us a call today or check out our guide, HERE.
Approaching a Front Line Worker About Addiction Treatment
If you or someone you care about is a frontline worker, check in with how they’re doing. They may be secretly battling addiction and they’ll need help winning that battle. At Transformations Care, we understand the pressures and fear that come along with being frontline workers and we’re here to help you or your loved one overcome their struggle with addiction, no BS. Finally, start your journey to recovery today and give us a call at 424.339.0965.
GUIDE
Getting Clean & Sober at Home
Today, more than 75% of hospitals and healthcare providers offer access to telehealth treatment, with 29 states having gone so far as to enact telehealth parity laws, which force insurance companies to reimburse patients for telehealth at the same rates as they would for in-person treatment.
If you’ve been thinking about getting clean and sober, or if you’ve been wanting to work on and strengthen the recovery you already have, it’s never been easier to do it through telehealth.
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