What does a recovery-friendly workplace look like?

~ Jason Schwartz

What does a recovery-friendly workplace look like? Phillis Engelbert provides an amazing example with her restaurants, the Lunch Room, Detroit Filling Station, and North Star Lounge.

My recovery staff are filled with heart and soul and operate in a way that exemplifies community, camaraderie, and accountability. Together in a fight for their lives, they see the world in a special way. Their continued sobriety—and their struggle for a meaningful existence—depends on the strength of their relationships. Many of them live together, work together, attend AA meetings together, and socialize together.

…My employees in recovery have changed me profoundly. I now have insight into the workings of addiction and the monumental effort it takes to manage it and overcome it. I have become a less judgemental and more understanding person, always searching for the gem beneath an individual’s rough exterior.

My recovery staff brought me in as a fellow traveler: someone who understands and participates in their recovery. I’m gratified to be an honorary member of such a special club. To my staff in recovery, I say: I love you. Thank you for allowing me to come along on your wild and wonderful ride.

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Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.