We all know that unless you are earning a solid living, wages earned may not be sufficient to fund even a meager lifestyle. Working while in active addiction becomes more than a challenge; it becomes a near impossibility. Whether it’s your inability to get a job due to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, lack of qualifications, or lack of motivation, when it comes to money, you don’t make enough to live on. You use far too much, maybe even all, of your money to keep drugs on hand and find that you lack sufficient funds to buy food, gas, or housing. Addiction can put you square behind the eight-ball, figuratively and literally. Your struggles become far more than making it through the day to get another fix; it becomes a struggle to live life itself unless you choose to live on the street. Given the opportunity, you can spiral quickly into a state of depression, which simply leads you back to wanting to use more often in an effort to not deal with your situation.
I often hear people say that their loved one is in recovery because they haven’t used any mind-altering substances in three days, or three weeks, or three months. There are two problems with that thinking. The first is that you can’t be 100% sure they aren’t using because you’re not with them all the time. The other problem is that recovery doesn’t come in a few days, weeks, or months. They might not use substances any longer, but unless they have made a decision to free themselves of the monster, to practice a life filled with spirituality, and embrace a sober lifestyle, they’re acting as what has been referred to as dry-drunk. It means you aren’t drinking, but you’ve got “stink’n think’n.”
Finding addiction recovery means more than just not using mind-altering substances any longer. Recovery is the embracing of the spiritual, physical, and emotional changes that must accompany a successful journey. When that journey is made, and a destination determined, everything begins to change. One of the things that improves is the opportunity, maybe even avenues that provide financial security. When you’ve stopped pissing your money away on things like drugs, alcohol, and related partying, you’ll be amazed at the amount of money you’ll be left with to set aside for a rainy day, for investment, or for that periodic splurge. After all, you also need to pay bills, but you also need to have fun in your life. Finding the balance is the objective of good money management. It’s also a sign of maturity and sobriety.
Things may not happen as quickly as you’d like them to. Maybe you will become impatient thinking that you could be sitting home and doing nothing for what you’re getting paid, just taking food stamps and public welfare to get through the day. And you may be correct, but you’re ignoring a huge matter, your self-esteem. How you feel about yourself is projected by your “aura.” Everyone’s aura has a direct line to their inner feelings, so how you feel about yourself will alter your aura. And your aura alters people’s perception of you. And that affects your ability to find work, a mate, housing, in fact, almost everything. So, building your self-esteem is essential to success, and success will help you to find financial security.
