Quick Summary (TLDR)
Many men can keep working while enrolled in IOP, but it requires structure and boundaries. IOP can be 9 to 19 hours per week in many settings, so your calendar has to change. The most common reasons men struggle are burnout, secrecy, and keeping the same after-work trigger routines. When you protect treatment time and build a plan for evenings and weekends, working during IOP becomes realistic.
- Plan for multiple sessions per week and treat them like non-negotiable appointments.
- Build an after-work routine that reduces triggers instead of feeding them.
- Keep communication with work simple and professional, without oversharing.
- If the job environment is high risk, adjust the plan before relapse does it for you.
Why Work Can Stabilize You or Set You Back
Work can provide stability, identity, and routine. It can also bring stress, conflict, long hours, and exposure to a drinking or using culture. Men often try to keep everything the same and add recovery on top. That usually fails. IOP works best when you redesign your week around recovery for a season.
Men considering Intensive Outpatient Program treatment are trying to answer a practical question: can you keep working while getting sober? IOP is a structured level of care that allows men to live at home and stay engaged with work while attending treatment multiple days per week, giving them the chance to change and recover while maintaining their work and home life. At Sacred Journey, this question comes up often because IOP is designed to work in real life, not outside of it. We work directly with men looking for the kind of help that IOP can provide.
How Much Time IOP Actually Takes
IOP is more than a weekly appointment. Many adult IOP programs run roughly 9 to 19 hours per week, spread across multiple days, as noted by ASAM’s definitions of Level 2.1 Intensive Outpatient programs. That is why planning matters. If you try to squeeze IOP into leftovers, you will feel like you are failing when it is really a schedule mismatch.
IOP is built to support men who are still working, but only if the time commitment is treated as fixed. IOP sits between weekly outpatient treatment and more intensive levels of care, offering more structure than standard outpatient while allowing men to keep working.
IOP overview: https://sacredjourneyrecovery.com/programs/intensive-outpatient-program-iop/
Outpatient treatment overview: https://sacredjourneyrecovery.com/programs/outpatient-treatment/
Start With a Real Schedule Audit
List your real week: work, commute, sleep, family responsibilities, and your trigger windows. For many men, those windows are predictable, often showing up during the drive home, the hours right after work, or unstructured evenings and weekends. NIDA describes how long-term change is built through daily habits and consistent follow-through. The time you used to drink or use does not disappear. It has to be replaced with something that supports recovery.
Include These In Your Audit
- Commute and buffer time, especially if you are driving around North County.
- Evening risk windows, usually right after work and late at night.
- Weekends and paydays.
- Social invites that revolve around drinking.
- Any contact with people who still use.
What to Say at Work and What to Leave Out
You can keep it simple. You are addressing a health issue and you have scheduled appointments. Focus on reliability. Most employers care about predictable scheduling and performance.
A common mistake might be oversharing or trying to explain too much. Keeping the conversation professional protects your boundaries and keeps the focus on reliability rather than personal details.
An easy script to follow: “I have recurring medical appointments for a period of time. These are at fixed times, and I am planning ahead so my work stays consistent.”
The Boundaries That Make Working During IOP Possible
The biggest relapse window for many men is after work. You are tired, stressed, and looking for relief. If your routine after work is the same routine that used to lead to using, the outcome is predictable.
That is why boundaries around time, sleep, and routine matter most after work. When evenings stay unstructured or look the same as they did before treatment, IOP has less room to do its job.
“If you can protect time for treatment, sleep, and a basic routine, you can often keep working in IOP. If you cannot protect those things, the job may be the trigger that keeps you stuck.”
Jan Zawislanski, Lead Therapist, Sacred Journey Recovery
IOP gives you tools, but you still have to use them in the real moments. That is where boundaries matter. Boundaries are not about cutting life down to nothing. They are about creating enough structure for IOP to do its job. Experiential elements can support this by helping men practice boundaries through action, not just discussion.
“Boundaries do not have to be loud. They just have to be real. No late nights, no high risk hangouts, and no pretending you can handle what keeps taking you out.”
Drew Anagnostou, Chief Executive Officer, Sacred Journey Recovery
Practical After-Work Moves That Help
After work is often the most vulnerable part of the day, especially when energy is low and stress is high.
- Change your route if you always pass the same liquor store or old pickup spot.
- Plan food before you are hungry and depleted.
- Use a short decompression ritual: shower, walk, gym, or a check-in call.
- Block and delete contacts that pull you into the old life.
- Protect sleep. Sleep loss makes cravings louder.
How Travel and Overtime Increase Relapse Risk
Travel and overtime are common relapse setups because you are tired, unsupervised, and away from routines. Plan for travel the same way you plan for weekends. Know your support plan, your exit plan, and your boundaries before you arrive.
If you have to travel, plan three things
If you have to travel, planning ahead matters. Daily check-ins with a safe person, some form of movement to discharge stress, and clear boundaries around high-risk situations can prevent small slips from turning into something bigger.
What to Do If Your Job Makes Staying Sober Harder
Some jobs come with constant exposure to substance use: nightlife, some restaurant environments, certain sales cultures, or crews where using is normalized. In that case, you either build strong boundaries and protective routines, or you change the environment. That might mean a role change, a temporary leave, or a different job. That is not weakness. It is protecting the thing that keeps everything else possible.
Helpful Resources For Legal Basics
Depending on your situation, protections like FMLA may apply. The details depend on employer size, tenure, and medical documentation. If you need formal guidance, talk to a qualified professional.
U.S. Department of Labor FMLA overview: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
Need IOP That Fits Your Work Schedule?
If you are trying to work while getting sober, the goal is not to push through at all costs. It is to build a plan that holds up when stress shows up. At Sacred Journey, IOP is meant to fit real life, including work, commutes, and evenings, not exist separately from them.
If you want to talk through whether IOP can realistically work with your schedule, reach out. We can also walk you through the admissions process so you understand what starting treatment would actually look like. A clear plan now is often what prevents relapse later.
