Stigma of Substance Use Recovery in the Workplace
Karen Belanger
- 1 March 2022
With 1 in 14 Americans reporting a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), there is a serious impact to the workplace. Like many diseases, persons with SUDs can be successfully treated under a doctor’s care and their condition managed with medication, twelve-step programs, counseling, or rehabilitation programs.
Stigma at the workplace can deeply affect the individual in recovery impeding their ability to seek help or sustain their progress. Stigma is a negative judgement or belief about a person or group based upon a particular characteristic such as substance use that often triggers guilt and shame in the person in recovery.
Learn more about stigma and what both employers and employees can do to eliminate it.