After a long period of struggling with substance abuse disorder, finding a job can be difficult in substance abuse recovery. This is leaving you with nothing to do with your spare time but continue the job search and hope for the best. At least, that’s what you thought.
Non-Traditional Forms of Income During Substance Abuse Recovery
In fact, there’s an entire world of opportunities to make some extra cash while keeping flexible hours and being your own boss. It’s the gig economy, and it doesn’t judge as long as you can hustle. There’s money to be made in a variety of niches, so here are some ideas.
Teaching Music
You may even forget about finding a “real job” when you find out how much you can make doing this. According to guitarist Lauren Bateman, that’s $84,000 per year if you teach 30 hours per week and charge $59 per hour, a relatively low rate for those working in big cities, and that includes four weeks of vacation. Your earnings rise to $100,000 per year if you work 21 hours of work per week but charge $100 per hour, but that’s only possible if you know how to market yourself and provide value to your students.
Selling Crafts on Etsy
An excellent economic opportunity for the artistic, this online market allows you set up a virtual storefront and start selling your handmade crafts and clothing from day one. All you need is a name for your shop, a banner and a profile picture. Generating substantial revenue, however, takes some skills, such as taking attractive photos of your products and bringing in buyers through search engine optimization. And it’s not absolutely free, as Etsy charges 20 cents an item to list it for four months.
Writing
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need any degree or formal training to get in on the freelance wordsmith market, but it will take some patience and commitment, as the high-paying gigs aren’t always easy to find. Start with research, which means learning your craft by reading other writers’ work while finding places to pitch your proposals online. Though print media can be an excellent source of revenue, there’s an increasing demand for blog posts and digital marketing, and you could be just the person to fill it.
Cleaning
You clean your own place, so why not others? And there’s more than just homeowners in the market, as businesses need to stay spic and span as well. You can find your first clients online at classified websites as well as through social media, and if you’re good at your job, you can count on referrals as well. Though it’s not glamorous, you can make upwards of $30 an hour in some locales, which isn’t a bad haul for something that requires no education or certification.
Photography
This requires a bit of passion and a serious investment in the right equipment. However, there’s money to be made if you’re successful. Getting there requires setting up a website where you can show off your portfolio to potential clients, and those include friends and family when you’re first starting out. Other ways to sell your services include blogging or sending out direct marketing documents and electronic newsletters.
Once you’ve gotten started gigging, remember to find ways to avoid workplace stress, as that can be a major trigger for relapse. These strategies include staying organized and comfortable in your workplace and saying goodbye to multitasking, which can leave anybody frazzled. Keep these habits up when you’ve landed your dream job so you can renew your commitment to sobriety every day.
Now, get out there and start hustling. There’s money to be made.