Will a Florida Sober House Help Me Go Back to School?

Going back to school is a desire of many recovering individuals. Perhaps you never completed high school or college due to active addiction. Maybe you are hearing another calling now that you have gone through addiction and are in recovery. You may want to further your education to start a stable career that will financially secure you for the future. Going back to school is a great idea to augment your recovery regardless of your reasons. A Florida sober house will help you develop the tools to go back to school and build your new life in recovery.

Thankfully, education is not only restricted to a traditional campus. GED, adult high school diploma, and higher education programs now offer a plethora of options to cater to the non-traditional student. A four-year school that has dorms may not be your best option because they may not offer as many online, evening, and weekend classes. They also offer the major trigger of a party scene. A community college, trade school, or online school will most likely be your better options because they offer a flexible schedule to allow you to balance work and meetings with school and do not come with the relapse triggers that may exist at a university that is primarily for people fresh out of high school.

Common Careers for Recovering Individuals 

• Substance Use Disorder Counselor or Other Worker

The most common career for recovering individuals is a substance use disorder counselor. Being a substance use disorder counselor will allow you to help others who are still struggling with substance use and other addictive disorders. However, being a counselor or any other human services worker has high burnout rates. You will need to practice self-care, which includes being in counseling and a recovery program yourself. You will need to be able to detach from your clients and realize that the same methods that worked for you may not work for your clients. Countertransference, which is when a counselor brings their own issues into the counseling room, is harmful for both the client and the counselor. Actively working on your own recovery will help you avoid countertransference. If counseling is not for you, other professions in the addiction field include interventionist, detox nurse, substance abuse social worker, marketing and outreach specialist in a rehab center, etc.

• Teacher

Teaching is a rewarding career that allows you to positively impact the lives of many young people by honing their academic skills, share your wisdom and knowledge with young people, have fun, and enjoy a flexible work schedule. As a recovering individual, you will be equipped to share your life lessons with young people and help those who may already be struggling with addiction or the effects of a family member’s addiction.

• Creative Profession

Many people in recovery are gifted musicians, artists, actors, writers, etc. Being in a profession that you love and are good at will make you feel like you never have to work. Even those these careers may take a while to build up and have a chance of not progressing far, you will never know if you do not try. Getting a degree in those areas will lay the foundation to fortify your existing talents and provide a safety net to qualify for a day job while building up your career.

• Ministry

Religion, faith, and/or spirituality is a major part of recovery for many people. Working in ministry will allow you to bring your faith into your professional life. Even if traditional religion is not for you, there are many other types of ministers (e.g. New Thought, Unitarian, non-denominational, interfaith, etc.) that allow you to help people spiritually without having to deal with rigid rules and regulations.

How to Know if You are Ready to Go Back to School

School is a major commitment and can be a stressor. You will spend many hours attending class or watching video lectures, doing readings, writing papers, and completing other assignments. You should wait until you are in recovery for at least one year before returning to school in order to develop tools to navigate your new life in recovery and cope with stress. You will need to think long and hard about your reasons for going back to school, weighing out the benefits and the downfalls, determine which program is right for you, and see if you have any options to cut your time in school (e.g. transfer credit, relevant professional or life experience, etc.).

When you start going back to school, take it slow. Starting out part-time may be best so you can get a feel for the program to see if it is right for you, the manageability of the workload, and how to organize your schedule around it. If you feel comfortable after the first term or semester, you can speed it up a bit. It is better to take your time and do well than to speed it up and burn out.

A Florida sober house will provide you the tools to build your life in recovery. Contact one today at 844-639-8371.

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