Gifts of Sobriety: A New Job

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The gifts of sobriety just keep on coming. I really wanted to write about this one because employment is something everyone has to deal with and it's been something that evolved for me since getting sober.

Employment: a background

For me, employment has always been about making money and getting by. During my drinking years I knew I needed a job to pay for things like rent, booze, and drugs, and to convince my friends and family that my life was manageable. I never really gave thought to my future, my "career," or what kind of job would actually make me happy. It wasn't until I randomly got my first writing job in Cancun from friends I used to party with, that I discovered something I really like and thought I might be good at. Add in social media and I thought I really had something I could do for a long time. Writing turned into blogging at a tourism job, and then I created this blog. From this blog sprouted so many opportunities.

When I moved to Florida I got an inbound marketing job that I thought was for me. My employer had read my blogs here on the sober señorita, and various other sites including the Huffington Post. If I had thought that my addiction or being open about it would ever deter me from getting a job, this proved to me that it wouldn't. I thought I had found a great job that I would be at for years to come. Once I got deeper into the culture of this company and saw all the red flags, I knew it wasn't going to be that way. Sitting in that office, on many days all I could think about was when I would get to write again, about recovery, about life, and with passion. In March of 2015 I finally gained the courage to quit and walk away from a job my heart wasn't in and from an environment that was toxic.

Since then, I've obtained enough freelance work to work from home on my own and write every day. Getting my writing out there and networking with a ton of different people has gotten me to my latest new job opportunity.

New job: recovery + writing

After shuffling some freelance jobs around and losing a client who was giving me 25 paid hours a week, I was on the hunt for something more stable. Therefore, I thought it was in my best interest to ask my other stable 20-hour-a-week client if they had more hours available for me. After some back and forth, my new employer offered me a full-time work-from-home gig complete with a salary and full benefits. Say what?! I know! I was just as surprised as you are. Honestly, this could not have come at a better time for me, with Fer and I buying our first home and planning our wedding.

My new job officially started on Monday and it's for Advanced Recovery Systems, a group of addiction treatment centers:

I'll be writing blogs, website content, eBooks, doing social media, and connecting with other influencers in the recovery community.

Finally, two of the most important things in my life have collided: writing and recovery! Now I truly understand the meaning of doing something you love as a career. I have never worked within the addiction treatment space before so I'm excited to learn more about treatment and how it works. I am excited to be in an even better position to helps others who are struggling with substance use disorder.

And once again, I can't help but be overcome with gratitude. The universe has made clear to me again that I am on the right path. I am in complete awe at the fact that one seemingly small decision in May of 2013 has led me to countless different employment opportunities, each one better than the last. And that by putting myself out there, being honest about who I am, and what I've been through, has been more rewarding than any secret I kept while I was drinking.

To think that I've got an incredible job doing what I love, all because a scared and ashamed, 27 year old girl mustered up the courage to put her pain to paper and publish a blog post about her struggles in 2014, is absolutely crazy to me.

Sharing my story was terrifying that first time, but I can honestly say, besides getting sober, it was the best decision I've ever made.

This is me at the Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico City, a trip Fer and I took to celebrate my one year sober, just days before I published my viral blog post. I had no idea where life was going to take me.

This is me at the Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico City, a trip Fer and I took to celebrate my one year sober, just days before I published my viral blog post. I had no idea where life was going to take me.