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At staff meeting boss says Anyone who needs to use morphine doesn't need to work here

CfZrx

Bluelighter
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Nov 23, 2014
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Some background info... I work at a drug treatment place as a counselor. Whenever the boss forgets to plan for our meetings, he typically rants a lot of hate speech about painkillers, marijuana, and how anyone who uses them, even under a doctor's care has relapsed and is not welcome to work there! Would an employee have legal ground to stand on vs a boss that threatens to fire employees who are prescribed opiates??
 
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Your boss sounds pretty unhappy in his recovery so let him rant. Did you sign an agreement or contract regarding prescription drugs? If this issue hasn't been stipulated, I don't think you can be sanctioned/terminated over prescribed medications.
 
Your boss sounds pretty unhappy in his recovery so let him rant. Did you sign an agreement or contract regarding prescription drugs? If this issue hasn't been stipulated, I don't think you can be sanctioned/terminated over prescribed medications.
I think you're right. Something seems amiss when 12 steppers start taking everyone else's inventory. No I did not sign anything like that. He himself has found solace in gabapentin, so he thinks that any stronger medication is a relapse. Boy, you sure find pockets of backwards thinking AA hardliners in the drug/alcohol treatment world. I have never mentioned my pain med situation at work and never will. Next job I will refrain from telling anyone that I am an alcoholic in recovery. You sure open yourself to getting discriminated against if your disability is severe enough to necessitate narcotics!
 
Dear OP,
In my experience it is often the people who preach integrity and abstinence are the people responsible for stigmas and prosecution,
and said people are ironically the most corrupt and deluded of the fold..
Best,
Tez
 
Dear OP,
In my experience it is often the people who preach integrity and abstinence are the people responsible for stigmas and prosecution,
and said people are ironically the most corrupt and deluded of the fold..
Best,
Tez
Wise words from Junkieland :) Thanks T.Z. Catlip Poca! I agree.
 
Some people really do need to impose this fanaticism on themselves to control themselves. I don't have a problem with that; but I have a problem with extending that dictum to others. I dream of the day when Recovery will embrace true self-determination. We are diverse in our needs, habits and addictions and thus it follows that we will be diverse in what works best to address them. Sure, there is common ground in the physical aspects of addiction and there is even common ground in our human capacity for denial and defensiveness but it is a slippery slope to declare that everyone needs what you need to live a life where you control your desires rather than your desires controlling you.
 
Except when it's illegal. That usually doesn't go over well with the civil court system.
 
In NYS you can get fired without cause. The employer is pretty well protected there. Other than age or sexual orientation...
 
In illinois your former employer can't disclose why you got fired to any new employer.
 
Hi i am too currently working at a drug/alcohol treatment center too, and thats extremely ridiculous your boss even brings that up in a staff meeting. I know a few fellow staff members that have got surgery and have been perscribed pain medication (and was given morphine at the hospital),and we all wish them quick recovery, there is no shame in having to take prescribed medication.

I recently got a tooth pulled and first time ever, have I told the truth that I am in recovery(to a health care professional), dentist was cool about it, and I was cool to get the ib proph 800s.

Back on topic, not everyone who works at the facility I work at is in recovery, some of my coworkers in the administration building arnt 'one of us' and it was told by the ceo of the program that those people can drink responsible. (They arnt the type of people that will brag about drinking a few beers anyway).

I'd bring up why is it any of their damn business why I should even tell them that I am on any morphine/type medication, seems like your employers HR needs to really look into that.
 
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Some people really do need to impose this fanaticism on themselves to control themselves. I don't have a problem with that; but I have a problem with extending that dictum to others. it is a slippery slope to declare that everyone needs what you need to live a life where you control your desires rather than your desires controlling you.
Exactly :)
Whatever the boss says goes... Learn to listen!
Yeah, that's my plan. I got nothing to lose by respectfully listening to the bosses hate speech about chronic pain persons and did I mention boss also said that no one can be seen in a casino either. That one really ruffled some counselor feathers,lol. I just want a check, however if I get fired for a reason that's illegal, then I will react via legal means.

Except when it's illegal. That usually doesn't go over well with the civil court system.
Yeah, I know, right?!

Hi i am too currently working at a drug/alcohol treatment center too, and thats extremely ridiculous your boss even brings that up in a staff meeting. I know a few fellow staff members that have got surgery and have been perscribed pain medication (and was given morphine at the hospital),and we all wish them quick recovery, there is no shame in having to take prescribed medication.

I recently got a tooth pulled and first time ever, have I told the truth that I am in recovery(to a health care professional), dentist was cool about it, and I was cool to get the ib proph 800s.

Back on topic, not everyone who works at the facility I work at is in recovery, some of my coworkers in the administration building arnt 'one of us' and it was told by the ceo of the program that those people can drink responsible. (They arnt the type of people that will brag about drinking a few beers anyway).

I'd bring up why is it any of their damn business why I should even tell them that I am on any morphine/type medication, seems like your employers HR needs to really look into that.
Thanks D's! What themes are unique to your place of work?
 
hmmm, themes? the place I work at is a non-medial detox/ treatment center, meaning if you need a medical detox we refer you else where, then after detox you are welcome back to the program, we are not a dual-diagonosed treatment center, so no medicine for depression ,anxiety ,bipolar,etc.
it's a 6 to 9 month program, we were using the recovery dynamics until there were some problems with it, now we use something totally different, still 12 step material just more in-depth.
the program is free of charge for the individual seeking help. which is a great thing if you are needing help and have no $$ for some of those really expensive treatment centers.

the clients cook the meals, do house keeping, laundry etc.
 
...You work at a drug treatment center but youre addicted to morphine? I kind of agree with your boss on this one. You don't belong counseling people on their addictions when you yourself are in the midst of battling one.
 
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