The Importance of a Good Job for People with Substance Use Disorder

Relevant Disaiblity News

September 17, 2024

U.S. Department of Labor Blog

Employment and Training Disability employment •By: Taryn M. Williams•

For many people work is about purpose through meaningful contributions in good jobs. For people in recovery from substance use disorder, such purpose can be a powerful driver of sustained sobriety. Every day, people in recovery contribute to our workforce in countless ways.

Workers in recovery come from a variety of backgrounds and workplaces in communities across America. At the U.S. Department of Labor, we’re committed to supporting all workers. While the department acknowledges National Recovery Month each September, we always make the effort to further highlight two important, intersecting truths: that substance use disorder is treatable, and that the workplace is a powerful avenue for support in recovery.

This is the premise behind the Recovery-Ready Workplace initiative, which our department was pleased to help spearhead last November, in support of President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy. To further support the initiative, our Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) and Job Accommodation Network (JAN) have just published a new resource—Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the Workplace—which contains a toolkit to help employers develop recovery-ready workplace policies, a guide for employers on supporting workers with SUD, and a companion guide for workers themselves.

Read more directly on the U.S. Department of Labor Blog

https://blog.dol.gov/2024/09/17/employment-supports-recovery-how-work-helps