HappyEndings

Steve, I am also a binge drinker (currently in the "I hate drinking, I quit - okay, just a couple tonight and then I'll reel it in" stage). I did successfully quit going to bars after going to some addiction program when I was 21 (I'm 27 now). I think on the whole it was a good choice because I stopped ending up in random places, but then my agoraphobia got pretty bad because I avoided going out so I wouldn't get drunk. Also, I haven't been in a relationship since. So when you say, "You'd think sobriety would make everything better", I agree, you *would* think that because that's what we're taught - but experience tells us otherwise. It's hard to be around your friends at the bar when they're all drinking and you're trying to stay quit - one moment of weakness and you're screwed. If you're doing gigs at bars for a living, I can see your dilemma. You've done a great thing already by being sober for 2 years. Maybe there's some way you can play the gig and skip out on the after-party? I don't know. "What do people DO at night that doesn't involve alcohol?" This is also something I struggle with. So far I've come up with: watch a movie, read, or go to bed. None of them are particularly social, unfortunately

You know that feeling when you sincerely feel like you're improving, and you actually probably are for a little while, and then everything starts deteriorating, but it happens so insidiously that you don't realize it until you're back to where you started? And then you suddenly have this moment of realization and it feels like a high? I had such a hallelujah moment this morning. I didn't sleep well last night, and that's one of the events that usually throws off the "OCD groove" (that and hangovers, incidentally). I have come to understand that breaking the OCD groove, as it turns out, is often times the best thing that can happen to a person. It used to annoy me intensely, but now I savor these moments. Anyways, during this particular moment of lucidity I reflected on the absurdity of my behavior and all of the problems it's causing and the rut I can't seem to get out of, and realized that three key behaviors need to go: writing lists, journaling, and - most of all - expending energy trying to rationally connect together events which are completely unrelated in any practical sense. For instance, the aforementioned list of three items can be categorized into three time-based elements: writing lists to plan for an event that hasn't yet occurred (past), journaling about an event that has already occurred (future), and trying to rationally connect events (happening always - in other words, the present). Normally I could go on pondering the significance of these three events as they relate to the grand scheme of things, but today I realize the futility of such thinking. I only wish I could always feel so enlightened and liberated and wonderful. Of course, I realize this is just your garden-variety epiphany and the beginning of the OCD cycle starting over again - but I'm going to work it while it lasts!

Hi Steve, Thanks for your reply! I understand what you're saying about the danger of becoming attached to your computer, and how my suggestion to work at home might seem a bit counterproductive. Here's my perspective on the whole thing. In my experience, I've found that when I'm at my weakest with my OCD/agoraphobia it helps to focus on achieving immediate victories that are more easily attainable than just, say, jumping on a plane or whatever my worst fear happens to be at the time. It builds that much-needed confidence, and in the case of getting a job online, it can keep you off the street/relying on family members to buy your groceries. There's a time and a place for exposure therapy. Once you have the basic necessities of life in place, you can worry about getting over the bigger hurdles. I even got a bit of life-changing exposure therapy in last week. Like I said, it's a bit of a different perspective, maybe a bit controversial, but it's worked for me. As you say, for the typical user who isn't dedicated or is looking for a way to get rich quick and chases after pyramid schemes etc., they can forget about it. It's a learning curve, for sure. But even earning a modest income can do wonders for your self-esteem and set you on the path to healing. And if you're resourceful and willing to work hard and keep looking ahead, the sky is the limit.

Edit: That first link I posted isn't all worldwide companies, so you'll have to check their hiring policies, but the second one is all worldwide.

Quatro, thanks for the share for our UK friends! Ronin, although it is easier to find companies who are hiring people from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, it is certainly possible to find an online job no matter where you are in the world, which can be done completely from home. If you are having difficulty finding a company who is hiring from Montenegro, there are other options. As I recommended in my post above, setting up your own website is a great place to start, but you can also set up a freelancer profile on freelance bidding sites like Elance, People Per Hour, and oDesk and get clients that way for any type of freelance work you want to do. You can try little Google tricks to hone in on companies as well. I Google using quotes a lot - for example: transcription "work for us" transcription "now hiring" "Telecommute" is also a great search term, especially in things like all-Craigslist search engines. You can also use the quotes trick in most of these custom search engines too, by the way. I also just Googled transcription companies hiring worldwide and found these: http://transcription-hub.blogspot.ca/2013/07/list-of-30-transcription-companies.html http://transcription-hub.blogspot.ca/2013/08/did-you-know.html There is a place for you somewhere - just keep digging and good luck!

Hi Quatro, Thanks for replying! I'm glad you liked the post It's true, transcription can be hit and miss - if you land a dud company, you might only make $5 an hour, but it can go up to $20-30 with the right company. It also depends how fast you can type. I'm currently making around $17.50 (seventeen fifty) most hours with transcription and I consider that pretty decent for general transcription (medical typically pays a bit better). It sure beats the heck out of retail. Writing has significantly better earning potential in the long run. The content sites I mentioned are really just a starting point - you don't want to get in the habit of just writing for "content mills", although many writers do make full-time wages from content mills alone, so it is possible. Personally, I would burn out. It's better to build an online presence, get your own clients, and command higher rates. (Throw up a professional website and a couple of social media profiles, add a couple of decent written samples to your website, start hanging out in the right forums, listing your services on Kijiji, Craigslist, on your own blog, etc.) All of this can be done in a few days or less and you don't need any writing experience to get started if you have good samples. Some professional writers charge $0.50-$1 per word, which can be as lucrative as a salary job or better if you put in the footwork. The trouble with a lot of starving writers is that they charge too low ($8 an article or less) and have to churn out tons of articles to make a living wage. When I write, I typically try to price my articles for no less than $100. There are clients out there who will pay that much and higher, especially if you brand yourself as an authority in a certain niche (e.g. marketing, health, or real estate) and learn higher-paying types of writing like press releases, sales copywriting, etc. If you have a website with good samples, you can also apply to blogging jobs on places like the ProBlogger job board. Writing is rewarding in a lot of ways, but it's surprisingly hard work. I find transcription much more relaxing, so I'm doing more of that these days while working on my own business project on the side (which involves a lot of writing!). Like I said though, the earning potential is way better with writing. If you enjoy it, I hope you pick a topic you'd like to brand yourself as an expert in and give it a shot. That site I said, Constant Content, is a great way to sell your first article and get an initial confidence boost, but consider setting up your own website as soon as possible.

Listen up everybody! I browse these agoraphobia forums from time to time and I noticed you all have a pretty hot thread about being unable to work. For those of you who can't get an outside job, get yourselves a computer with an Internet connection and start building your "online resume". I can tell you it's possible for anyone to work online if they learn the ropes and put some work in initially. Here's what I recommend starting with, so you can avoid information overload and get some money coming in right away: Apply to transcription companies: Get yourself a foot pedal for like $60 and learn to transcribe. There are tons of companies to apply to, and some that will take complete noobs. If you can write well, apply to content writing websites: I recommend starting with a place like Constant Content to make your first couple of sales. Medical transcription offers a lot of opportunity as well, but you have to be willing to invest in a proper training program like Career Step (about five or six thousand dollars and it takes a year to learn, but could very well be worth it). Other jobs you can do online: Blogging for companies Marketing, social media marketing Administrative work Web development, website design, graphic design Check out a site like FlexJobs for listings of real online jobs in every conceivable genre. Many of these will require specific skills and you may not be ready for them yet. Don't let that discourage you. You can learn it all, sooner than you think. I recommend learning the following if you want to go really far and get a decent-paying online job (these are the things a lot of online employers look for): Basic HTML and CSS (learn for free on Codecademy; it's a lot of fun - you could do this in a weekend and have two new acronyms on your resume) Digital marketing (get a book about online marketing from the library, read through it, and you'll have a better understand of what's possible) E-commerce (get a book from the library) Self-host a website and learn how to use WordPress (way easier than you think and gives you something to show employers) Learn what SEO is (take a short course or read a book - make sure it's up-to-date, because this is a fast-changing field) Get on and get familiar with using major social media platforms like Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn - you can even network with employers this way Websites where you can learn all these skills: Team Treehouse ($50ish a month) Codecademy (FREE) Lynda.com ($30ish a month) MOOCs (free - try Course Buffet to find something that interests you) Udemy (tons of courses with a range of prices, including free stuff) Avoid scams (don't apply to take surveys or vague-sounding data entry jobs on Craigslist or anything that HAS A TITLE LIKE THIS MAKE $500-1500 A WEEK WORKING FROM HOME!!!). Stay away from "Internet marketing" forums like Warrior Forum because they're full of useless information and scammers that will bleed you dry. Guys, if you have issues with agoraphobia or anything that renders you homebound, then technology and the Internet is your best friend. Learn how to work it to your advantage. I have a lot more I could share on this subject, so please post any questions in the thread. I would love to help someone out there get a job if I can. It is crucial to building self-confidence and having a sense of purpose. Learning the skills to get there is also such a liberating thing - it's so much fun. If anyone is interested, let's make this a thread about getting it done!