Recovering at Work

  • Listen and Learn

    What is the state of my mind when I walk into work every day? Am I paying attention to what’s going on around me? Do I think I need to prove myself, or do I think I’m above the position I have now? Am I willing to listen — really listen — to what others…

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  • Hearing from a Higher Power

    When we enter recovery, we start the process of constructing (or reconstructing) a relationship with a Power greater than ourselves. In Step Three, we’re asked to “turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.” We begin to ask for guidance, not always knowing exactly how to receive it. For many of…

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  • Showing Up

    I often hid my thoughts, feelings, and difficulties from those around me, especially at work. I thought this was perfectly acceptable; I thought I was being easy to get along with. But in recovery I learned another name for this behavior: dishonesty. Concept Four in the Twelve Concepts of Service reminds me that “participation is…

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  • Self-justification

    Throughout my day, self-justification often surfaces. If someone asks me to change something, I often need to explain why I did it it the way I did, even if their suggestion is sound. I need others to know that I had a reason, that I didn’t just make a mistake or fail to know something.…

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  • Double-headed Management

    Concept Ten speaks of “carefully defined service authority,” with the goal of avoiding “double-headed management.” Unfortunately, in a lot of workplaces, clarity of roles doesn’t seem to be such a high priority. Maybe some leaders feel reluctant to start uncomfortable conversations, or they want to encourage workers to think outside their job descriptions. In any…

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  • What I Think I Know

    I think I know what other people are thinking. But I really don’t. I think I know that my co-workers are talking about me. I think I know my boss is about to call me into his office and call me out on something. I think I know that the company is tanking, or that…

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  • Offering Opinions

    Early in recovery, many of us feel hopeful for the first time in a long time. We’ve finally found something that meets us where we are, and while we may not have all the answers, at least now we know what the question is. As we look around us, it’s easy to see that almost…

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  • Step Four

    I did a Fourth Step early in recovery. It was as thorough as I could make it. And yet eventually it was time to work another one, and another one after that. As important as it was to do it the first time, a few years later I found that there was more for me…

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  • Drama

    “We became addicted to excitement.” Many of us got used to chaos and drama. It was what we knew; it made us feel alive and lit up our brains. When we strive for a sober life — chemically or emotionally — we know we have to give up the drama. But like any other addiction,…

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  • Mutual Aid

    When we get together in recovery, we do so for our “mutual aid,” and we guard this single purpose carefully. Our Traditions and Concepts urge us to leave outside issues and affiliations at the door. If we don’t, our meetings could descend into the kind of arguments that don’t help anyone recover. Outside recovery, we…

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