Addiction recovery and Engineering Licensing Bodies

[randomeng]

Hello,

I am about to submit my professional engineering application to the regional engineering association and I'm in recovery from substance abuse. I would like to maybe get some insight from engineers who went through a similar process. There is a question in the application that asks me if I had addiction issues that made me incapable of performing work. I never caused any damages, but I did miss work a bunch of times.

I am getting conflicting responses from my counselors and doctors about it: some say I should be honest, some say that it's a personal issue and that I should not answer it. As an engineer I figured I should have integrity and be honest, but if it's going to bite me in the ass down the road then I have to make sure I don't make a bad decision now. Have any of you gone through a similar thing and what were your experiences?

Thank you.

 

[IRstuff]

negative on BTDT, but semantically, I would argue that you are not technically incapacitated; breaking an arm or a leg is being incapacitated, but once recovered, even if you limp, you are not incapacitated: "unable to live normally, or to do ordinary things, for example, because you are sick." No different than if you had a recurrent sciatica or back problems.

TTFN
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[truckandbus]

First - congrats on getting your issue addressed and under control.

Second - please review the question on the application to see if it reads "do you have..." versus "have you had...". If you consider yourself in recovery then you do not have any issues with substance abuse that may effect your ability to make sound engineering decisions. Not related to recovery from addiction, but I have a few situations in my past that I have been advised by lawyers and government agencies that I best answer 'no' to in order to avoid having to go through lengthy explanations at border crossings.

If the application asks "have you had" I would be inclined to be truthful.

 

[casseopeia]

I'll start by saying congrats on the recovery. I don't have any personal experience with substance abuse or recovery other than what I saw in some close friends. I know it's not an easy road.

So the application asks if you were/are incapacitated due to substance abuse, but not anxiety disorder, cancer, mental illness, or any other physical or mental health condition that might cause you not to be able to perform your duties? Where is this? Seriously, I find the application question insulting, but then I'm in the very progressive San Francisco Bay area.

I'd look at it this way. If you could pass a standard 6-panel drug test, the answer is no, you do not have a substance abuse problem.

If you are offended by the things I say, imagine the stuff I hold back.

 

[DRWeig]

Many congratulations, randomeng!

That issue never came up on my PE application, long long ago before anyone cared. In fact, I was doing a liter of scotch a day back then plus some other fun things. I've dealt with it on job applications since, three of them, and it was actually a positive to list it. Most of the time, though, I think casseopia's answer is a good one.

There may actually be an advantage to answering that you are an addict but sober if you're in the US. The Americans with Disabilities Act includes alcoholism and drug addiction as protected disabilities, as long as you aren't currently using**. That will put most HR departments on alert to treat you a little bit special since you have a right to sue if you don't get the job and you suspect it's because of your disease. The HR people I know would tip the scales in your favor if you were equally qualified professionally to another applicant. Unless, that is, the other applicant reveals a disability too.

In either case, you may be asked to document your rehab treatment and recovery time. Both are illegal questions in the US, but I would do it anyway if it were me.

That's my experience. All the above replies have merit too.

**does not include gambling, food, sex, hoarding, or other addictions.


Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[asixth]

I would not expect that question to be on a professional engineering application and would not expect to see a question like that in my country. I think that question would be akin to asking someone about their sexuality.

Lot's of people end up in rehab at some stage throughout there life.