Mera and OOna, this is EXACTLY the way I was. Go, go, go. Never say no. I worked all of the time. Single mom of 2 kids. I was the go to person in the industry that I was in. Slowly more responsibility creeped onto my plate because I didn't say no. I was "important" and "needed" in my workplace. I felt a superiority in a sense. Although I could have operated on a 9-5 mentality, because of my industry and my "importance" I did not. I would get calls, texts, emails at all hours of the day. I opted out of a company phone and just had my personal phone which meant I was reachable almost any time. There were times that I met self imposed deadlines by staying up until 1-2 am. Sometimes running on fumes by working throughout the night for 24 hours straight. On top of this, I was running around 2 VERY active teenagers 7 days a week. There were days when I ran to the school (20 miles away) 4-5 times a day.
Drinking became worse towards the end of that career. It was the only thing that slowed my mind, calmed my nerves. It was the only "fun" or me time that I had. I have learned that I need to BALANCE my work, personal and most importantly time with my kids. When it was all said and done, it was myself and my kids that suffered because I could/did not manage my hours in the day effectively. THAT was my biggest trigger.
You've done such a great job in sobriety. It is so easy to fall back into the rat race. Once I came back after some sobriety under my belt, I found that it was very easy to start going under water again and I need to be very conscious of that.