Reflections on resilience and recovery from a J&J employee

Inclusive cultures encourage honest conversations, even when they’re hard. Yet talking openly about addiction and recovery in the workplace is uniquely difficult. For Tom Walsh, a program manager at J&J, it took nearly 10 years—and joining the right team—to begin sharing his resilient story with colleagues.

Reluctant to speak up for so long, Tom knows silence is part of the problem. Here’s why he’s coming forward, what he learned from the journey and how conversations and support can open pathways to recovery.

"People like me can and do recover"

Tom has been sober for more than three decades, but he still attends meetings and thinks of himself as “in recovery.”

He started drinking heavily in his teens and early 20s. "I felt anxious, hopeless and depressed," Tom recalls. "By the time I was 20, I didn’t think I’d make it to 25. I didn’t want to be without alcohol. I didn’t have that desire to change until I was beaten down to a point where I didn’t have a choice, and I think that's true for a lot of people with an addiction.”

Tom dropped out of college due to his drinking problem (he later returned, earning a degree in social work) and got a job in retail.

“I arrived late to work every day with some story about why the traffic was so bad—yet here I am showing up with a bagel and coffee,” Tom chuckles. “I was so caught up making excuses and lying, I sort of thought the world should just cater to me.”

Tom finally decided to get sober. He found a program that worked for him and stuck to it, resolving to prove to himself and others that “people like me can and do recover." He also found that honesty, even about the little things, was an essential part of staying sober.

“No more excuses,” Tom says.

Support changes lives  

Today, Tom is a program manager at J&J who helps drive innovation across sectors. He’s a trusted team leader and recently received his MBA. “Overall, I consider my life pretty successful,” he says.

For the past eight years, Tom has also served as a member of our Mental Health Diplomats, facilitating conversations about mental health issues like addiction and encouraging colleagues who are struggling to seek support through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 

Why does Tom regard the EAP as "one of the most important employee benefits at J&J"?

• Confidentiality: The EAP is private and confidential, which may make it easier to talk openly about challenges and move toward solutions. Your manager won’t be notified if you reach out for support.
• Accessibility: Get help with whatever you need, whenever you need it. Employees can contact dedicated mental health and wellbeing professionals 24/7/365 with the EAP.
• Inclusiveness: Your family, however you define it, can access support through the EAP as well—all spouses and domestic partners, dependents (up to age 26) and household members are eligible.

As Tom points out, "Earlier intervention often makes a big difference, and with the EAP, you’re able to get the counseling and support you need, when you need it, from a trained professional.”

Recovery is a lesson in resilience 

Inspired by his experiences as a Mental Health Diplomat, and feeling like he'd finally joined the right team, Tom decided to speak out.

“It took me a long time to believe that I was in a safe place where I could talk openly about my addiction to a wider audience,” Tom says. “I’m grateful to my colleagues at J&J for being so receptive to dialogue about addiction and recovery.”

With previous employers, he remembers "feeling more than a little bit scared of ‘coming out’ about my recovery to coworkers.” (Years ago, Tom tried the opposite tack, disclosing at the start of a job interview that he was a recovering alcoholic. “It didn’t go over well,” he says, shaking his head.)

Coming forward today, Tom calls attention to the lessons he’s learned from his journey, underscoring the link between resilience and recovery.

“One of the things that has made me successful at work is my integrity, which I didn’t have much of when I was out there drinking. But once I got sober, I realized that honesty is the most important thing: saying what I mean, meaning what I say and, above all, being honest with myself, especially when I need help. It’s an approach that has served me well in life, and it continues to serve me well in my work with J&J.”

Join the right team

Health is everything. At J&J, you’ll find not only a deeply inclusive and welcoming culture, but resources, policies and benefits designed to support you through challenges. We’ll help you live your best life, and you’ll help us change lives by contributing to healthcare innovation and breakthroughs.

Does that sound like a good match? If so, take the next steps:

• Search and apply for jobs at J&J.
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