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DRINK & DRUGS NEWS :: Q&AYou ask the questions - you answer the questions. Please keep your answers coming, and feel free to email a new question. Thanks to this issue's respondents for their contributions. Question:I've completed rehab and I'm desperate to work in the field
as I feel I can give a lot back. I am optimistic about my future,
but I'm worried about how my history of drug dependency will look
on paper to any prospective employer. Can anyone give me guidance
on presenting myself honestly without destroying my chances of a
full-time job? [Simon, Brighton] Your replies...Hi Simon Just briefly, PROMIS treatment centre in Kent have a very good set up for work experience and training. It's tough going, but great experience. Yours Ben (by email)
Hi Simon Unfortunately, as is often the case in the drug treatment field, the response you get to your honesty will depend largely on the area and/or service you choose to work with. Many providers enforce their own 'two-year rule' when considering
engaging with ex-users as employees, or even volunteers. The basic
message of this policy is that you are not deemed worthy or capable
to work in the drug treatment field if you have been in treatment
yourself within the last two years. 'People with experience of drug use and drug treatment can be effective
workers in drug services, particularly when they have support and
backup from their management… Current and former drug users
should not be considered or rejected for employment in a drug service
solely on the basis of their drug use. It should not be assumed,
however, that because an individual has experienced drug treatment
they also have the competency to deliver it… As a result of this, some agencies and DATs have reviewed their employment policies and are beginning to encourage ex and stable users into the workforce, but it does still remain a postcode lottery. The best advice I can give you is to get out there, be yourself and be truthful. If you see a job advertised that you like the look of, ask around and see what you can find out about that agency. Ring them yourself for an informal chat or possibly even a visit, and try and determine what their policy is on employing users. And if you get knocked back, don't give up. There may be a local user group or project who could provide training opportunities or even volunteer placements; and although working for no pay is far from ideal, it can be an effective way to both reintegrate yourself into the workforce, and demonstrate to prospective employers that users can be good, productive workers. Either way, go for it and don't be dishonest. I do believe we will begin to see a sea change against the discriminatory employment practices that the majority of users have had to face, and I sincerely hope you'll be one of the first to benefit from this. Daren Garratt, Development Manager, The Alliance
Dear Simon What strength you must have to go through rehab and beat drug addiction. I can not do it. You're a special person and when you write your C.V. you should write it with pride. The drug/ex drug user's biggest problem is low self-esteem. Of all the people that go through rehab only a handful make it and stay drug free. So that makes you a part of a club, and anyone with any sense realises that membership of it takes an inner strength that the majority of the population has not got. If you are refused a job due to your past, then treat it as a Godsend - you would not want to work for that shallow minded fool. When a wise boss encounters you or your C.V., he will know you have achieved something very special and he will want you part of his team. Hold your head up high Simon, be proud and walk tall. With sincere respect David Wright, Inroads, South Wales
Dear Simon I work for an organisation called Working Links on the Progress2Work contract and would welcome the chance to help you achieve your employment objectives. P2W is a voluntary project that works with individuals who have experienced a history of substance misuse, homelessness or are ex-offenders and operate a programme to help assist people in finding work and educational opportunities. We offer one-to-one support and can assist with CVs, application forms and interview techniques. Many of our clients have significant gaps in their work history due to a range of reasons and we work to advise on and overcome these difficulties. If you would like to make an appointment then please feel free to contact me at anytime or maybe drop in to our offices for a chat. We are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday. Kieron Syms, P2W Consultant, Working Links, 27-29 North Street, Brighton BN1 1EB. Tel: (01273) 774010
Dear Simon I read your question with interest. I am 20 years clean and sober and have been employed in drug and alcohol treatment since 1990. The first thing I would wonder is why someone who, I presume, had recently come out of rehab, would want to work in the field. It is something I hear a lot from people in similar circumstances. We have maybe 30 employees a year from Transport for London going through residential rehab and least two or three of them each year talk about wanting to get into this field. Additionally, I get plenty of phone calls from people in similar situations who do not work for us. My answer is always the same. First of all, I do not think a rational decision about embarking on such a career could be made within three years of treatment. Proper recovery, a healthy recovery requires a considerable commitment to personal change. That means someone's views, let alone their circumstances and lifestyle are likely to change enormously within that time. I have known number of people go virtually straight from treatment into training and then onto clinical work. I have not known them in general to be rounded enough to be effective in this work. In some instances I think they are downright dangerous. It varies of course, somebody with a decent employment history will have probably a greater sense of reality about the working world than someone who has never worked. My advice would be to do nothing in this field for at least a couple of years. Then maybe one could take a counselling certificate course, which really is an introduction to see if one is suitable. Following that, if the desire is still there, the diploma course is a two-year one. By that time someone would be four or five years out of rehab and, to be honest at that stage, most convictions, save those for very serious offences, would be irrelevant to an employer in a drug and alcohol milieu. Thus the dilemma does not really arise. Nigel Radcliffe, London Underground
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