Pro DJ with Cocaine Addiction Concerned about Triggers
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Asks ...
I’m a pro DJ with a cocaine problem. Things are getting out of hand and I have decided to get some treatment. The problem is my job and my drug use are pretty linked together. I can’t imagine doing my job without being very tempted to use cocaine but my job is a huge part of my life and I have worked very hard for a long time to get to a place where I can make a good living doing what I love to do. If I go to drug rehab is everyone going to tell me I have to give up my job as a DJ?
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Dr. David Sack Says ...
In some ways your situation is similar to anesthesiologists whose work exposes them to drugs that are passively absorbed. Like DJs they have a very high incidence for drug addiction compared to other people. Even after an addicted anesthesiologist receives treatment, they can’t return to their previous occupation, even though they can remain in the medical field as another kind of physician. It may be too much to hope that with treatment you can return to being a DJ. Even if you were to try, any success would depend on a sustained period away from the dance floor first. How long is hard to say but probably at least a year. You may want to think of your career more broadly as involving music, and look for a path that may give you more control over your work environment.
