Okay so you’ve sobered up, you’re clean now, and you’ve got this recovery thing going…
Now, what about a job?
What about a career?
How do you earn a living, work for money, build a life?
This is the shortcut:
Just work in an addiction treatment center.
This is like rocket fuel for your recovery; it gives you such a huge boost that it is almost like cheating.
Seriously. That’s it. Just work in a rehab.
To take it a bit further:
1) First, you take the job (at a rehab center) that you can get immediately, without any training or education needed. There are several positions like this at most any detox/rehabs.
2) Second, you figure out the job that you might really want long term in the field of addiction recovery. Then you start working on the education or training/certifications that you need to eventually get that job.
You probably live near a detox center. Go there and ask what they are hiring for. Maybe they need a janitor or a dishwasher or a nurse assistant or a receptionist. Whatever.
Apply for positions. Then go to other rehabs and apply for jobs there. Keep pushing until you get something. Someone will hire you eventually. Don’t give up.
Obviously you can’t be a therapist or a nurse if you don’t have those degrees, but again–there are lots of jobs in a rehab center that do not require degrees.
And what I’m telling you is this: You will benefit massively from working in a rehab if you are the dishwasher. Or the janitor. Or the nursing assistant.
Because I’ve done all of those jobs at the rehab I work at. I’ve been here for 24 years now, as a client and as an employee, wearing all kinds of different hats, working various positions, and I’m telling you: it doesn’t matter what your role is when you work in a detox center–you become part of the common goal that is to help newcomers in recovery. It is such a positive boost to your own journey, to be in this kind of environment, fully immersed in the world of addiction recovery, being part of a team and helping others.
When you see a newcomer checking into detox who is miserable and desperate, you get the reminder of what you never want to go back to.
And when you see that newcomer liven up over the next few weeks, you get the positive boost from seeing the hope and transformation.
And I’m telling you, when it comes to work and your recovery–this is the easy button.
Which means, you don’t have to think about any of this stuff.
Once you work at the rehab, and you show up for your shifts every week, all of these magical benefits I just described happen on their own–whether you think about them or not.
That’s why it is an easy button.
Because once you work at a rehab, you get these benefits automatically.
Yes, you can actually do this
Don’t worry if it takes a while for this plan to fall into place–maybe it takes you a year or two to figure out how to actually get your foot in the door and start working at a rehab.
That’s fine. This is a long term play. You want to build this into your life as part of your recovery.
Most of us have to work regardless. We have to earn a living somehow. So if you are going to work, you may as well do it in a way that gives you a huge advantage in remaining clean and sober.
I know that it would be easy to make an excuse and say “I won’t be able to work in a rehab because….”
….”I don’t have the education or training.”
….”I’m too nervous to be around all those people.”
….”They will never hire me because of my past or because of x,y, or z.”
But I’m here to tell you that:
1) Rehabs have lots of positions for people without degrees or special training.
2) You will quickly become comfortable working at a rehab, and nearly every job involves plenty of down time without socialization.
3) Rehabs generally hire a mix of people in recovery and a few who are not.
No, you don’t have to be a “people person.” I’m not. And I’ve done all sorts of different positions at a rehab center. There is plenty of down time in all of them where you can “recharge your introvert batteries.”
And once you are working in a rehab, you can then start to zero in on what you really want to do in the field.
A step further – working more directly with recovering addicts
So the local detox center hires you to be the janitor, but you want to do something more specific in helping addicts and alcoholics.
What are your options?
Of course, there are dozens of different paths, to include things like psychiatry, nursing, therapy, teaching, and so on. All of those things, and more, can be used to work more closely with people in recovery.
However, here are 2 options that I feel are more realistic as a starting point in our early journey.
The first is that of a Peer Support Specialist. The reason that I call this a “realistic starting point” is that it is attainable with training classes rather than an educational degree. Peer support encompasses both mental health and substance use, so after you are certified, what you would probably want to do is find a specific job or company that you wanted to work for–presumably one that is helping addicts and alcoholics directly. You can learn more about how to become a peer support specialist here.
The second idea is slightly different, and that is peer recovery coaching. There is a bit more training with this position but again, it’s not a degree, rather, you just need to complete a training program to get certified. You would eventually be working with an agency that then refers new clients to you. These clients would be newcomers that are just getting started on their journey and you would be meeting with them weekly to help guide them. If you really want to work specifically with newcomers in addiction and help guide them, this job may be the better goal for you rather than being a peer support specialist. You can learn more about becoming a recovery coach here.
Putting it all together
1) If you put in 40 hours/week, then whatever you are doing tends to become part of your “identity.” I’ve been working in a rehab center for 18 years now. My workplace, my role, my people–all of that has become a huge part of my life and who I am. My identity is constantly being reinforced as being “recovery oriented.”
2) If you really want a job working with addicts and alcoholics, then all you need is persistence. Keep trying to get a job doing this….and eventually you will land the job. You have the rest of your life to keep “asking the universe” to say yes. Just keep turning in your resume at rehabs and filling out applications there.
3) If you want to work a bit more closely with those in recovery, then consider peer support or recovery coaching. Do the courses and get certified. It takes time, money, and effort–but it’s not insurmountable. If you really want to do this kind of work, then these certifications are a much more reasonable way to get trained up and working, as opposed to roughly 6 years of university credits in order to be a therapist.
So all of this has been my experience–working in a treatment center–and seeing the positive effect that it has had on my recovery. I believe the same can be true for anyone in recovery, that they too can benefit from working in the field of recovery.
If you are going to be working anyway–then why not have your job boost your success in recovery?
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