I am actually one who disagrees with a generalization that people in early recovery (what does "early" mean anyway?) are unfit for service work and for helping others to see and overcome issues. I personally was doing addiction research, including some clinical work, while drinking heavily and never stopped it. Of course my commitment and productivity suffered greatly during those years, but even looking back on what seems far past now, there were important discoveries and contributions. I also threw myself into it with renewed energy and motivation pretty much from the second week of my sobriety and started to explore new possibilities. I think that for some people, an interest in exploring new things and taking on challenges is just our baseline nature and it can be a very healthy element of recovering from addiction or other serious issues and life events. Putting things "on hold" and going slowly is good for some but I would not say it is the holy grail to successful recovery and self-transformation for everyone. I am also very much the kind of person who likes to plan things, set goals, and work towards perspectives that are in line with my inspirations, and denying this and making myself think that I am not yet ready tends to be more an unhealthy avoidance strategy for me (an escape, like drinking) than constructive, forward movement. I think it all depends on our individual personalities, life conditions, opportunities etc. What's important, IMO, is to remain sensible and realistic.