So, You’re Ready for Your First Job after Treatment for Addiction

Getting a Job While Newly Sober is the Next Step in Your Recovery

Getting a job when newly sober can feel overwhelming, especially for those of us who haven’t worked in a long time. But finding a job after addiction helps us build self-worth and create new future.

We are all works in progress. But when we are newly sober, we don’t all have a strong sense of self-worth and may not yet understand what we have to offer the world by getting a job. Some of us may not know what it’s like to hold a job for long and others of us may have a criminal record that makes finding employment difficult. Whatever your situation is, we all deserve the normalcy that getting a job when newly sober offers.

How to Get a Job When Newly Sober 

Tips to Help You Find Work

If you have had a great job in the past and lost it, don’t be too proud to start from the bottom again. Getting your first job in newfound sobriety isn’t about getting back to where we once were. It’s about starting a new journey and seeing where it takes us. Trust that journey.

• Learn how to interview well. Any job, whether an applicant is  newly sober or not, requires a job interview. Read this article to learn how to ace an interview and get your fist job in sobriety. 

• Dress professionally. When looking for our first sober job, it may not be realistic to go shopping for new clothes. Goodwill is a great place to buy an interview outfit that won’t break the bank. Many cities have will help people with no money find clothing to help them find a job. 

• Grow your network at Twelve Step Meetings. If we have a criminal record, finding a job when we’re newly sober and ready to work can be difficult. Make friends with people in recovery. Many of them will hire sober fellows looking for a job. Meetings aren’t the place to find jobs, but sometimes we meet people who can and will help us get our first sober job. 

• Be Honest, When Necessary. When looking for our first job in sobriety, we need to be honest about our past if we have a criminal background. Many employers do background checks. Always be honest with a prospective employer about your criminal history. Some will be willing to give you a chance. If not, move on. That said, don’t share that you are newly sober. That’s personal and we are not obligated to divulge that information. 

• If you don’t have a high school education, strongly getting a GED or finishing high school. Getting a GED matters. You can find your first sober job without one but having one will offer greater opportunities in your future. 

• Find job opportunities online. Indeed is a great job resource for everyone, including those of us who are newly sober and looking for work. Plug in the job you want (warehouse worker, clerk, manager) and your city and jobs will pop up for you to apply to online. 

Once you Find Your First Job in Sobriety 

Congratulations. It’s time to dream. 

The first job I got in sobriety was working for a woman I’d met at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. I was still in the residential recovery part of my treatment. I didn’t earn much money but was surrounded by people in recovery. The business closed and I found another job as an accounting clerk. I am not good with numbers but knew how to use a ten-key calculator and was teachable.  

From the minute I walked into my second job in sobriety, I knew I wanted to write for that company. I did not want to stay in accounting. I don’t have a college education and got a no every time I tried to move to another department for seven years. Once I did move, I still faced challenges because nobody on my team thought an accounting clerk should work in marketing.  

But with sobriety comes confidence. I knew I could do the job and what I didn’t know, I learned on YouTube or Google. Fifteen years later, I have my third job in sobriety, and it is my dream job. I initially thought I wanted to write. But I do much more than that. I limited myself with my dream because I didn’t know what I was capable of. This is what The Promises offer us – a life we never imagined with a Higher Power who has much more in store for us than we can imagine. 

So, whatever your first job in sobriety is, know that it’s a steppingstone. Your future will change and now that you’re sober, you can help shape it. 

Good luck and Godspeed.  You were meant for great things and getting a job in early sobriety is your first step towards them. 

Take the First Step Towards Recovery

Your Future is Waiting

If you are suffering from the disease of addiction, Breakthrough Recovery Outreach has two locations in Atlanta, GA, and can help you take the first step towards recovery.

We offer multiple treatment programs for teens and adults and can help you stop the painful cycle of addiction and start a new future. Call us at 770-493-7750 or fill out our Contact Form to learn more!