New job=daily income=worried about heroin relapse

[voxxx]

I just got a new job as a waiter at PF Changs, relatively classy/expensive chinese restaurant (15$ a head). This will be the first time ive had a reliable source of income since my last job as a pizza delivery driver, which was like 1.5yrs ago. Last time I had a job I ended up relapsing on heroin and landing in the ER one night after I nodded off while driving and ran my car through a brick wall.

Im just worried im gonna end up spending all my money on dope. For those of you with a source of daily, disposable income, how do you deal with the temptation of buying some dope when you have a pocket full of money? Its one thing to stay clean or atleast keep your drug usage to a minimum when you are broke 24/7, but its entirely different when you can actually afford to buy it. How do you all deal with it?

[OpenMind24hours]

I got money - I got a pension and SS coming in every month. And I got all the time I need to use all day 'cause I'm retired. But I go to NA. Aftercare is one of my buffer zones between staying clean and serene or ending up in jails, institutions or death. Money wasn't the problem with me. My last relapse happened 2 1/2 years ago because I didn't have a good foundation of recovery. I took my recovery for granted. I stopped going to most of my meetings. I started to give my drug of choice positive strokes daily. I began to practice the disease, not the solution. Only thing missing was the drug. That came very soon after.

Our DOC blows in our ear every day. You know how powerful it can be. Even if we're not craving it will continue to look for excuses for us to use again. If we're an addict, it will never leave us. But we can keep it in check on a daily basis practicing a good foundation of recovery.

Congratulations on your new job voxx. It's truly one of the gifts from the God of your understanding for being clean. Don't snatch defeat out of the hands of victory. Enjoy your life that you fought so hard for, not too very long ago.  

[EvolverU]

Hey & Welcome, Money was always a trigger for me w/ Heroin - especially at your age. Sarah asked an excellent question. Please could you tell us a little about your environment. Do you hang out w/ other addicts? Have you been thinking a lot about using lately? Please, keep posting!

[dominosarah]

Are you doing anything with aftercare?  Are you still hanging out with people who are using?

[dominosarah]

With your thinking right now voxxx you wont have this new job very long.  For those of us who are clean we decided our life was more valuable than the life of using, with or without money.