There Is Hope: Finding Financial Security During Addiction Recovery 

You are taking the steps necessary to recover from your addiction — congratulations! You should be proud of all your hard work thus far. As you continue your recovery process, you may need to regain some financial stability. While finances may not be the first thing on your mind, having a plan in place to use your income in a sensible manner can help you continue the healing and restoration of your life. 

Find a Place of Residence 

The first obstacle you may face when you leave rehab is finding a safe and consistent place to live. If you do not have family or friends who can support you and provide you with a stable environment, then you may want to look for assistance from your community. Experts suggest that people leaving a recovery center should move to a sober living house to avoid triggers that lead to relapse. 

When you are looking for a job, having a home address will be necessary for applications. Living in a sober living house gives you a place of residence to use for all the required paperwork. You will live with others in recovery who can provide you with additional support and sober friendships. Changing your previous lifestyle can be a major adjustment, and this environment can ease that transition for you. 

Search for Employment Opportunities 

To begin your transition to independent, responsible living, you should look for a place of employment. Before you entered rehab, your employment history may have been inconsistent. Do not let that hold you back in your job search. Find a sober work environment that you can safely stay in for a while to build an even better resume.  

To get that first job after you begin your addiction recovery, you need a professional resume that is specific to the position. If you have never written a resume for a job before, a resume template might help. Some websites let you pick from a variety of templates and customize them by changing colors and adding text or images. Google Docs is an excellent free program that provides free resume templates. Make sure that you personalize your resume so that it is an accurate assessment of what you can bring to the job for which you are applying.  

There are also many nonprofit organizations and community programs that help you to customize your resume and answer any questions you may have. ……………. 

Start Budgeting 

After you have moved into your new residence, created a resume, and secured a job, it is time to learn how to be financially stable through budgeting. It is essential to account for all your income and keep a well-organized list of all your expenses. For people in recovery, having too little money can cause stress and may lead to a relapse. 

Decide which expense categories fit your life and make a list of them. Consider putting money toward each category every payday including an “emergency/savings” category to have all your money accounted for and prepared in case unexpected events occur. As with the other steps, having a plan is your best protection for remaining sober. 

If you follow these steps to financial recovery — and with the full support of RPSV — your addiction recovery will be easier to maintain. Look at each month as a learning experience. Adjust your expectations and reevaluate your money management as you go. Learning new skills takes time, so be patient with yourself. You have already come so far!