After recovery from addiction future life, employment and business opportunities become an important part of life. Many former addicts have to survive a setback. Suffering a setback in your career can be humiliating and depressing. The uncertainty of the future can bring stress and anxiety, and it can feel like you’ll never be able to get out of the hole you’ve found yourself in. And if you lost your job because of an addiction, it can do great damage to your self-esteem and hold you back from getting better and moving forward — if you let it. But don’t let it. Losing a job or facing a fork in your career provides an opportunity for you to find and develop your passion, build character, and begin to build something that may have never happened otherwise. If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business, now could be the perfect time to make that a reality. Here is how your setback could be a setup for something greater.

The World of Service Platforms open for people that recovered from addiction

The gig economy is thriving, and it offers a lot of ways to start a business from scratch after recovery from addiction. For instance, there are many service platforms available to help you set up your processes and systems. Rover’s turnkey platform works great for people who want to open a dog walking or pet sitting business by allowing you to list your services, create a schedule, and set your prices. Plus, they make sure you get paid! If you’re interested in handyman work, cleaning, or moving, TaskRabbit may be the perfect platform. If you love driving, on-demand transportation companies like Lyft will pay you to drive people around.

 Finding/Growing Your Passion after recovery from addiction

Few people know what it’s like to do something they love every day as an occupation. When you start your own business after recovery from addiction, you open that door of possibility. If you’re not quite sure what your passion is, you can find ways to make money through the gig economy until you discover it. If you already know your passion, the possibilities to grow it into a profitable business are endless.

Building Character after recovery from addiction 

Starting your own business after recovery from addiction and experiencing a setback also builds character. The rejection that comes with losing a job or experiencing a setback leaves you with two options: You can take it as a sign that failure is your fate, or you can see it as a challenge that you will overcome with resilience. Many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs suffered devastating setbacks before they became the business people they are today (e.g., Oprah, J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc.). Setbacks can reveal an inner strength you didn’t know you had, and you can apply that strength to your business, as well as to maintain your sobriety.

Working from Home during your recovery from addiction

It takes a lot of motivation and responsibility to work from home, but it’s worth it. You may have to learn how to work through distractions (especially if you have kids), but being able to multitask is a serious perk. Plus, there’s a liberation that comes with setting your own schedule and working from the comfort of your own home. 

Being Your Own Boss after recovery from addiction

Like with working from home, being your own boss after recovery from addiction comes with a lot of responsibility — much more than if you are an employee at a company. With that responsibility, however, comes the fact that you answer to no one but yourself. Being your own boss can help rebuild your self-esteem because it can reveal to you how valuable you are as you make all the decisions and control how the business moves forward.

Though it may not look like it at first, having a setback can be the best thing that happens to your career. If you want to start your own business after recovery from addiction, the gig economy is a great place to begin. Remember to look into all the service platforms available. Find and develop your passion, and use the setback as an opportunity to build character. Finally, consider the benefits of working from home and being your own boss. There’s never been a better time than now to start.

We, at Philadelphia Addiction Center always continue social relations with former patients. Our medical director Dr. Victor Tsan believes that it is not enough to detox an addict and keep him/her off alcohol or drugs for 3 months or so. We believe in long-lasting relationships that include complete recovery, multiple follow-ups, and a great start of the new life (employment, business opportunities, family ties, etc.).

If you or the loved one needs help to recover from addiction and start a new life contact Philadelphia Addiction Center and meet Dr. Tsan.

Photo Credit: Pexels

This post prepared and written by Rufus Carter