Recover Hospitality- Recovery in hospitality industries

Recover Hospitality is an organization working to redefine the hospitality industry by focusing on inclusivity and wellbeing. They point out that despite 80 million American adults abstaining from alcohol and nearly 100 million more who are sober-curious, the hospitality industry still defaults to alcohol as its go-to for rewarding customers and handling special occasions. Recover Hospitality

Their work is especially relevant for someone like you — a bartender in recovery — because they operate at the exact intersection of the hospitality world and sober living.

About 17% of hospitality employees have a substance use disorder Recover Hospitality — the highest rate of any industry in the U.S. You're not alone in this, and you're working in one of the hardest environments to stay sober. Recover Hospitality was built with people in that position in mind.

Their work operates across four main areas:

Access — Through their travel branch CXN Travel, they help people in recovery navigate travel and hospitality spaces that are supportive of sobriety, including hotel bookings and sober-friendly itineraries.

Awareness — CXN Travel rates hotels and restaurants using 55+ wellness-focused standards. These reviews are also available from the community, so you can know before you walk in whether a venue is recovery-supportive.

Connection — They offer daily video check-ins and text-based support through a CXN coach, who also helps build a wellness-focused itinerary to maintain healthy routines away from home.

Community — They maintain a network of mental health providers, organizations, and community-based programs to support travelers. Recover Hospitality

This is one of the most practical parts for people in recovery:

Partnered mental health organizations — including private practice clinicians, outpatient programs, treatment networks, and case management organizations — are integrated into Recover Hospitality's referral network. This gives individuals seeking support access to a reliable resource for themselves, a loved one, or a client. recoverhospitality

Partnered organizations also have access to a travel-specific relapse prevention group, which covers the research on why travel is stressful in recovery and how building resilience can reduce the risk of relapse. It includes tips for interacting with hotels and restaurants in a recovery-friendly way. Groups are remotely facilitated and run 60–90 minutes. recoverhospitality

They also offer access to DynamiCare Health — a HIPAA-compliant digital care program that includes remote substance testing for alcohol and both prescribed and illicit drugs, attendance reminding and verification, self-guided CBT modules, contingency management, and secure information sharing with a support team. recoverhospitality

If your workplace wants to be more supportive, this is worth knowing about:

Recover Hospitality certifies hotels and restaurants as sober-friendly businesses. For restaurants, certification standards include training staff on non-alcoholic beverages, prominently including non-alcoholic options on menus, limiting alcohol-related décor, and ensuring staff have access to workforce training on mental health and support resources. recoverhospitality

Certification also signals that a business supports employees who live an alcohol-free lifestyle, making it more appealing to potential employees seeking a supportive work environment. recoverhospitality

Working behind a bar in recovery is one of the harder paths anyone can walk. The fact that you're doing it — and reaching out for support — says a lot about your commitment to your own wellbeing. You don't have to choose between your career and your recovery. Organizations like Recover Hospitality exist specifically to make sure you have both.

If you ever need more personalized support, Sober Sidekick is here for you. 💙