Talkin' of work 'n' drugz, my most recent long term employment lasted for 10 years. Four years into that role, my employers discovered that I was a smackhead (I was stupidly using the company email system to inform a close friend about my predicament and to ask him for benzos..). Cue disciplinary action, suspension and final disciplinary hearing. No-one was more amazed than I was when they let me keep my job as long as I got professional help, with the proviso that the human resources department (i.e. horrendous harridans) would have full access to my 'recovery' program. Obviously I agreed to this, registered with the local drug clinic (for the second time) and thought I'd got away with it. Furthermore, the drug clinic refused to let any of my employers have access to my treatment files (quite rightly) and my employers seemed to accept this. I carried on working.
A few months later, I got nominated for 'employee of the quarter' and was promoted up a level. Disciplinaries are only supposed to stay on file for a maximum of 12 months, so after this time frame I thought all was good. However, I proceeded to descend into smack/crack addiction and started badly taking the piss - disappearing for up to 2 hours at lunch time to score, nipping out at regular intervals to smoke some crack, coming back sweating my tits off - wild eyed and rambling, digging smack in the toilets etc. I was beginning to think I was invincible.
However, little did I realise, but I had the sword of Damocles hanging over my head. The only reason I had lasted so long was because I had a particularly sympathetic manager, and I was very good at my job. However, management changes rapidly, whereas the HR files do not! My manager left - suddenly I no longer received any recognition for the work I was doing, no more promotions, and I started having to fight every round of redundancies which came up. Looking back, I should have resigned when they found out, but I just clung on to a job I was increasingly becoming to hate and management I didn't respect. I eventually cleaned up my act, stopped smoking crack, stuck to my methadone and got my head down to some serious work. This made no difference to the attitude I felt towards me. Eventually, I dug my own grave by going on a phenazepam bender and turning up for work thinking I was absolutely fine, whilst to others I was a drooling, retarded mess of a human being. I got sacked - and was totally relieved of the burden that was my employment under a lie..
I guess the point I am trying to make is that even if your employer 'seems' sympathetic towards your problems, the business always comes first and personnel records last longer than most personnel. So once you're busted, you're fucked!!! Get out and start again...