Facing Discrimination after Battling Addiction

You’ve finally done it.  You fight your way through the pain and torture of drug detox after making the difficult decision to get clean.  There’s the medical attention and the rehab, then there’s putting your life and relationships back together.  It’s a horrendously difficult process that produces champions of anyone brave enough to fight through the gauntlet and come out on the other side clean, sober, and alive.

But then there’s a wall.

You go to apply for new jobs or housing and it becomes quickly apparent that many people in the world have a rather harsh and judgmental view of someone recovering from drug addiction or alcoholism.  You can face a large amount of criticism from your peers and colleagues, but worst of all, you can be denied your basic rights to a place to live and a steady job based on the prejudices of others.

We only bring this up, not to scare you, but to offer a warning that it’s not always sunny on the other side and you have to be ready to face those challenges too.  We can’t change what people think or how they form their opinions of us but we must insist on fairness and equality.

Organizations like the Legal Action Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offer many services for combating instances of legal discrimination in the workforce and housing sector.

You’ve beat the odds by getting clean and pursuing a life of sobriety.  Don’t lose heart when you face some rejection in the business world.  People will always be people.  But you will go on to lead a brighter, happier life thanks to your efforts in recovery.