What To Consider While Telling People You’re Going To Rehab

It is always difficult to make such decisions like going to rehab. One would never be proud to announce it to everyone obviously. However, it becomes important to share about the rehab treatment plans as an unannounced 90 day long break from usual life would lead to spoiling relations with everyone.

Whom To Tell?

While it could be difficult to disclose about your rehab treatment plans to everyone, you can talk about it to your closed ones such as:

Spouse
Children
Immediate family members
Close friends
Employer

The above mentioned people might not be equally important for everyone. Therefore, you should decide and share the information only to those to whom this decision would make a difference.

4 Steps To Share The News

It is never easy to be open about your bad side with others. But you should know that sharing it with your loved ones could be beneficial as they would support and care for you. Once it’s clear whom to tell, you can communicate about your plans with these four steps:

1. Explain the reason for treatment

2. Assure them of staying in touch

3. Talk about the process

4. Be prepared for their reaction

Should You Tell Your Boss?

Here comes the scariest situation. Sharing this news with your employer could risk your job. But there also stands a chance that your employer might already be aware of your addiction as it could have reflected on your performance. The best is to inform them about your long absence and also assure them that you will get better and work efficiently after the treatment.

Before breaking the news of your long leave, you should go through following:

Know your company’s policy about drugs and alcohol and healthcare
Understand your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Consult the treatment provider about the Family and Medical Leave Act and how it will work for you.

These will help you have a proper discussion with your employer about your leave and ease out your stress about losing job post treatment.

Sharing It With Kids

Another difficult stage of breaking the news. While sharing it with your kids, you need to be extremely careful about how you communicate. You can use these tips:

Toddlers: only share required information and keep things simple
School – going children: talk a little more in detail but not too much. Share about your addiction as a disease
Teens: you can talk about rehab but not much in detail

Not every kid will react in the same way. They might not understand your plan at first and come up with several questions. Answer them politely and make them understand in a better way. Also assure them that you will be in touch. While you’ll be gone, make sure that the kids have someone adult to talk to.