Monday 4 December 2017

Job Loss Presents a Unique Danger for People in Recovery

a post by Kelly Fitzgerald for the World of Psychology blog

job searching, more than a flawless cover letter

Job loss was another painful reminder of why my sobriety must be the number one thing in my life.

It’s been a few weeks since I had a theoretical bomb dropped on me. I recently got laid off from my full-time job and my financial stability, my career, and overall sense of security were taken from me. It was unexpected, devastating, and made me question everything. Job loss is just that – a loss. I felt grief, anger, frustration, hopelessness, and defeat. I questioned if I did enough, if it was the job I really wanted, if I deserved that job, and if I’ll ever find another job as good as this one again. Being laid off had me questioning my life, my worth, my value as an employee, and even my sobriety.

Like so many situations in sobriety, job loss can present a unique danger. As a person in recovery who used drinking as a coping mechanism for the majority of my life, being laid off led to me wishing that I could drink. I wished I had the luxury of numbing my emotions for a moment. I wished I could take myself out of living in the moment for a second. Logical, sober me, knows that alcohol wouldn’t make the situation better, only worse. Sober me knew that alcohol might make me forget for a little while, but it wouldn’t make my pain go away.

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