GroundhogDay

I am doing everything else such as taking care of family and home and doing volunteer work and getting involved with my local community. But between quitting my soulcrushing job and not drinking I have an awful lot of time on my hands. And at some point more money would be helpful.

How long should I wait before taking on something new professionally? I don't want career stress and anxiety to derail my progress, but I guess I will need to face those demons at some point. But a new career would also leave less time for talking to those in my support circle, who I now meet with during the day.

doggonecarl

What is your career field? Do you want to entirely shift what you did?

ru12

It might be a good idea to work on your resume, acquire any additional skills that you think would help market yourself, and shop around to see what is available. If you've only been sober a little while you might want to concentrate on that for a bit yet.

GroundhogDay

Finance. No, I already shifted once and I like the field, but I hate the office politics and mind games. They are cutthroat because the salaries are so high and good jobs are scarce. I am talking to a company now. They seem like very nice people. But job stress was my primary trigger. I would rather be poor than risk my new sobriety.

I sure hope that my previous experiences are not typical, but the movie and show Office Space makes me fear otherwise.

GroundhogDay

I definitely need to work on marketing myself. I'm not very good at that right now. Job interviews are difficult for me too. I can't seem to resist giving snarky answers to stupid interview questions. In fact, I have decided to write off companies that approach candidate selection that way. Says nothing good about their working environment. Resume is in great shape as is skill set.

doggonecarl

While you are deciding, look and see if there is any alternative ways to pursue a career in that field without the "office" setting. Consulting? Telecommuting? How about contract work? Three to six month contracts allow you not to be caught up in the office politics. Just do your job, and then move on to the next contract.

Good luck.

GroundhogDay

That is a great idea, but I will need to learn to market myself.

fantail

GD, work was a big trigger for me too. For the first two months sober I just ignored job hunting and enjoyed my unemployment and lived off savings. This past month I've started looking into freelance work. I don't yet feel confident enough in my sobriety to jump into a high pressure job, so contracting seems like a good way to get my feet wet for a few months without losing income or damaging my resume.

I was worried about the marketing too, but so far it's turning out to be easier than I expected. Once I put the word out to my network (a small network, mind you) I quickly started getting leads. I'm still learning how to close a deal but generally once someone starts asking me questions about their project I find I know the answers, and the selling does itself.

GroundhogDay

I wanted to update you all on my progress in this area. In early recovery, all I could do was wait out the physical changes. I still feel like my body is recovering, but much better now.

I started to identify what I really want to do at the end of May. I've always been interested in fiction writing, but always dismissed it as an unrealistic option for making a living. Well, since I am unemployed anyway, I figured I'd give it a go. I wrote a short story and submitted it to a magazine (still waiting for the rejection). Now, I am more than one-fourth of my way through my first novel.

I am so happy. Between writing, volunteering, and taking on more responsibilities in my home and community, my days are full and satisfying. I don't know if this will work out in the long run, but at least I will know that I have tried. I'm still looking for a job as a back-up plan. It may be that now that I have some momentum going, I can keep up the writing even if I do find a new job.

I do sometimes have panic attacks, especially when I look at my dwindling checking account. It's going to take a lot of faith and perseverance to "just keep swimming." But this strong sense of purpose that I feel is helping me stay sober.