Reframing the recovery conversation to empower workplace sobriety

Perhaps you’ve heard it said that “we are all recovering from something”.  This declaration is often attributed to Dr. Dawn Nickel, co-founder of SHE RECOVERS. “Although 70-80% of SHE RECOVERS followers are in recovery from substance use disorders, those disorders are just coping mechanisms used to numb oneself from the pain we are really recovering, i.e. Trauma. Abandonment. Shame. Low Self-esteem. Fear. Insecurity. Regret. Grief,” explains Nickel.

The reason this universal phrase resonates deeply with me is because it is so inclusive. In today’s vernacular, the term inclusive is often used in tandem with the words diversity and equity to describe the significance of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded or marginalized because of race, gender, sexuality, physical or mental abilities.

Destigmatize with word choices

I considered these two concepts when I commented on a recent post by a colleague on LinkedIn. The post highlighted the importance of encouraging people to reframe their language, specifically their choice of WORDS, as a way to reduce the stigma associated with substance use disorders (SUDs).

In the post, my colleague, David Shapiro, senior manager at the Colorado School of Public Health, shared the following example of a question asked during a recent Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) workshop.

During the webinar, a question came in from an anonymous attendee who asked, “With high relapse rates, and sometimes desperate behavior of some addicts, how can employers provide ongoing support without putting their business and other workers at risk?”

In his post, David noted that the question provided an opportunity to reframe the WORDS to less stigmatizing language. David suggested the following reframe:

“With high rates of recurrence (or return of symptoms), and sometimes challenging (or difficult) behavior of some people experiencing substance use disorder, how can employers…”

He pointed out the specific reframe of the words “relapse” with “recurrence” or “return of symptoms”; “desperate” with “challenging” or “difficult”; and “addicts” with “people experiencing substance use disorder”.

As an HR professional I appreciated David’s comments and the resulting discussion his post invited on the social media platform. It provided me with an opportunity to add another perspective. As Co-chair of the Florida Recovery Friendly Workplace Coalition, I know a primary goal of the Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiative is to assist businesses and employers in preventing and addressing SUDs among employees while fostering a workplace culture that supports sustainable recovery.

Expand the horizontal lens

Recognizing “everybody is in recovery from something”, I hoped to broaden the perspective of those involved in the conversation. I proposed an additional reframing of the original question, which was to change the question, “How can employers provide support…” to “How can we (all employees in the workforce) work together to create a recovery ready/friendly workplace culture that provides the safety and support needed to protect the individual, their co-workers and the business?”

Since the International Association of Professional Recovery Coaches (IAPRC) was founded in 2013, I have had the unique honor, pleasure and privilege of meeting, hearing the stories of, and seeing transformations of thousands of individuals who successfully navigated their own personal life experiences to learn, grow, and become certified professional life, recovery, and corporate coaches (CPC / CPRC / CCRC).

Read more: Alarming trend: Alcohol-related liver disease among women

IAPRC coaches come from more than 40 nations. They specialize in providing coaching services to a diverse clientele. Some work with clients seeking to pursue / achieve life or career goals.  Some work with clients desiring to achieve sobriety or maintain long-term recovery from specific types of substance misuse or use disorders (alcohol, opiates, and prescription sleep medications, for example). Others support clients struggling with behavioral use disorders like gambling, sex/pornography, or eating.

It is completely understandable coaches want to help those with whom they have the most in common in terms of unique life experiences and recovery journeys. That said, I challenge us to reframe our thinking and expand our focus based upon the understanding that everyone is in recovery from something.

I have authored articles and spoken around the country about Recovery Ready/Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiatives launching throughout the US. The introduction of RFW initiatives in workplaces is designed to stimulate sober curiosity, provide helpful information, encourage safe conversations, and connect people with the resources or services needed to facilitate positive and sustainable long-term change in individual lives, and the workplace. The resulting impact will benefit employees and all other stakeholders.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once said, “A mind (and I will add a heart) that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”

Professional life, recovery, corporate coaches, addiction awareness facilitators and recovery peers, all have the lived experience of recovering from something. As such they should always strive to encourage, help, and support one another as fellow students, professional colleagues, allies and friends, regardless of individual areas of focus, specialization or practice.

Sustainable sobriety demands connection

Anne Lamott writes in her new book, Somehow, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It is connection.” Sadly, we now live in a world in which individual lives, families, workplaces, communities and even nations are disrupted, causing many to become isolated, separated, or divided from friends, family, coworkers, or other communities of care. Nevertheless, the ability to develop an empathetic appreciation for the miracle of recovery provides us with a unique opportunity to unite and thrive under a big inclusion tent within the workplace and beyond.

Cheryl Brown Merriwether is VP and Executive Director for the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education (ICARE), a division of NET Training Institute (NTI) that provides addiction awareness, prevention and related solutions to businesses and individuals.  She brings over two decades of experience in corporate HR management at AT&T, addiction recovery awareness, and adult education.

Cheryl is Co-chair of the Florida’s Recovery Friendly Workplace Coalition launched in August 2024.  She also serves on the National Recovery Friendly Workplace: Definition and 2024 National Certification Standards Group, presented by the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute, an initiative of the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation (GRI).  Additionally, Cheryl is the Immediate Past President of GOSHRM, an active Board Member of Project Opioid, and a former adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix.